29 Jun How Southwark Council is helping the borough’s economy emerge from the pandemic
Southwark Council is propelling the borough forward from the COVID-19 pandemic through a range of practical and strategic measures featuring funding, action plans and promoting opportunity sectors.
At Southwark Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Meet the Leader’ event on 10 June, Leader of Southwark Council Kieron Williams, outlined steps to help businesses emerging from COVID-19 restrictions.
The council has already directed £130million to local businesses, using its own funding when the government’s fell short during the pandemic, for example, for companies which didn’t qualify for business rate support.
Funding is still available via streams such as the £2m Pioneers Fund for local business and start-ups, the Start-ups in Libraries programme, South London Innovation Corridor and Local Access Fund, to name a few.
Cllr Williams said: “Southwark is an amazing place for all sorts of opportunity, all sorts of businesses, and all sorts of chances for our residents to get into great jobs. I’m very conscious we need that full broad range of activity to continue to thrive in our borough. As a council, we’re absolutely committed to working with you to make sure that that can be the case.
“If you’re setting up a business, if you’re running a business, we’re a council that’s on your side, working to support you and to help you create good quality jobs for people in Southwark and beyond.”
Key sectors will get a boost under council plans. A collaboration between local hospitals, universities, Southwark and Lambeth councils will be “a real global centre for those in the life sciences and biomedical sectors” and provide “the opportunity for many businesses in Southwark to grow within those sectors and benefit from the opportunities that come not just within Southwark and our city but around the world.”
The borough’s construction industry continues to be an economic focus and Cllr Williams said: “We’re proud to be building council homes in large numbers and will continue to foster that sector and protect its supply chain in our borough, particularly around the Old Kent Road and Canada Water, so that growth absolutely delivers opportunities for local businesses and local residents, and also create workspaces that are truly affordable and accessible to Southwark businesses.”
An unsung sector, he said, was “the cluster of new, green businesses particularly at the start-up stage, that runs along South Bank” and cultural institutions – many of which remain closed – that “absolutely have to be the heart of what we do in our recovery in Southwark.”
The Leader of the Council believes it unlikely people will return full-time to offices in the near future, saying: “It’s a chance to make sure the offices are really good quality spaces for when people do come back.
“Every workplace needs spaces for creativity. Not just offices, but places people want to spend time in. In Southwark you have a fantastic selection of bars and restaurants and great cultural institutions, and great diversity of people and businesses around you. We need to keep improving our public realm so people want to be here.”
High street action plans will help support the hospitality sector and a new town centre fund is launching soon. The council is encouraging government to invest in town centres and Old Kent Road, while also seeking mayoral funding for investment to scrutinise the design of these localities.
The ‘Meet the Leader’ event was organised by Southwark Chamber of Commerce and chaired by Sarah Moore-Williams, Dean of London South Bank University Business School, and new chair of the Chamber of Commerce.
She said: “The Chamber sees itself as a catalyst for the community to come together to be supported, to enable small businesses within the diverse communities of Southwark to come together, work together, have support to develop and grow as we come out of COVID-19.
“There are many pockets of our community at the moment that really do need additional support. We recognise that and it is the aim of the chamber over the next few years to focus on SMEs, start-ups, businesses and diversity within our community. If anybody wants to get more involved with the Chamber, please speak to us.”