Scarborough was named the enterprise capital of the UK at a ceremony in
Downing Street on Monday. The North Yorkshire town was the Enterprising
Britain 2008 award winner for its Waking Sleeping Beauty project, which has
transformed the declining seaside town into a shining example of enterprise
excellence.
The Enterprising Britain competition, run by the Mark Your Mark campaign on
behalf of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, is a
key part of the government’s drive to increase British entrepreneurship.
The competition looks to identify areas of enterprise excellence - those
places that have created jobs, forged cross-community links, and improved
the local climate for businesses and residents – and this year Scarborough
beat off stiff competition from the other finalists, one from each of the
twelve Regional Development Agencies and Devolved Administrations, to take
the accolade.
Six years ago, unemployment in Scarborough was twice the North Yorkshire
average, while more than a third of residents were living in neighbourhoods
that ranked among the 20% most deprived in the country.
Through a partnership of the council, local businesses, residents and the
Regional Development Agency, the Scarborough Renaissance Partnership has
successfully diversified the local economy and reduced the town’s dependence
on its declining traditional industries of tourism and fishing.
The partnership’s Waking Sleeping Beauty project has generated more than £200m
of private sector investment and has helped engineer a start-up boom in the
area, with established businesses also capitalising on the harbourside
regeneration.
The introduction of Freebay WiFi along the coast has allowed both visitors and
businesses to stay connected and has resulted in a much more creative,
cultural feel to the town. Even property developers are now moving in,
something which would have been unheard of a few years ago.
Peter Jones, TV Dragon and national Enterprising Britain judge, said: “Scarborough
is a town that has learnt to tap into its latent entrepreneurial talent and
harness it with tremendous results. The visible impact of renaissance clear
and the creation of a thriving creative and digital industry where one
previously did not, and could not have, existed is a huge achievement. Its
success deserves to be celebrated.”
The Enterprising Britain 2008 runner-up award went to Herefordshire Council
for its pursuit of sustainable prosperity in the county, while Furness was
highly commended for its focus on supporting and growing social enterprise
in the rural North West.
www.enterprisingbritain.org
