Our 'Supporting councils with business engagement' report captured learning from councils' contact with businesses over the course of the pandemic and their plans going forward. Hull City Council was one example. The pandemic changed the relationship between the council and the business community for the better.
About the area
Kingston upon Hull is a small city in East Yorkshire with around 6,335 enterprises, of which the majority are from either the science, retail or construction sector.
Pre-pandemic
Pre-pandemic, the Kingston upon Hull City Council relationship with businesses was at a strategic level with membership-based organisations and centred on business support via Humber Growth Hub and product related programmes as well as on statutory services, such as collecting business rates. Communication between the council and business community was limited, with discussions mainly taking place between council representatives and business owners at chamber meetings. Though for the Top 50 businesses there was a key account system in place. Many micro businesses in particular found the local authority difficult to navigate and as a result, many businesses were reluctant to engage with the council.
During the pandemic
During the pandemic however, there was a shift in this relationship as engagement increased. Businesses came to realise the strength of the support offered by the local authority as council services became more focused on their needs. The council began to understand more about the different types of businesses and their working patterns, the particular challenges of micro and small businesses struggling to keep solvent, and ineligibility issues for the pandemic support funding.
Overall, the council has come to understand more about the key role business owners play in the economic wellbeing of local communities and by providing jobs for local people. The enterprise panel, which existed before the pandemic, gained heightened engagement during the pandemic. The panel, split between big businesses, smaller businesses and support organisations, acted as a route to consultation. This enabled the council to gather general information on the local economy, information on how particular sectors were performing, and local intelligence from the chamber of commerce. Kingston upon Hull City Council is now building on this and has set up a business group under the young people’s enterprise champion which aims to produce a better relationship between businesses and the council.
The pandemic highlighted how business support is often delivered in competition between support partners and the council, and to overcome this, the council aims to create a support network that directs businesses towards the most appropriate type of support. Kingston upon Hull City Council also aims to develop links between the council and businesses so the council can refer businesses to the public for services that the council itself cannot offer. It also intends to make business support more flexible, by delivering activities online outside of standard 9-5 Monday to Friday hours, in particular for enterprising young people.
The pandemic has shown the ease and practicality of digital communication, and the council seeks to capitalise on this by engaging more through online means with businesses and business support partners and look at more effective use of its linkages via its key account model.
Moving forward
Looking ahead, the council aims to further develop a culture of understanding and support of businesses, by triangulating information through local knowledge built during the pandemic by business support partners and the council and in terms of young entrepreneurs has established a Business Engagement group chaired by a young entrepreneur and involving elected members.