Enterprising Britain 2012
Enterprising Britain 2012 is a nationwide competition to find the most enterprising place in the UK. This is part of the government's drive to make 2012 the year of enterprise, helping entrepreneurs to unlock their business potential.
Enterprising Britain Awards 2012 Winners Announced
Business and Enterprise Minister Michael Fallon has announced Northamptonshire County Council as the winners of this year’s Enterprising Britain Awards. Northamptonshire won the accolade of being the most enterprising place in the country for helping to generate economic prosperity across the county.
The Enterprising Britain competition was run by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and was looking for the place that could best demonstrate a positive impact of enterprise on the community over the past two years.
Business Minister Michael Fallon said:
“Northamptonshire County Council has shown real initiative in reinvigorating the local economy through a range of positive schemes. They have shown complete support for the newly formed Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership and the pioneering INV-ENT scheme which offers business rate rebates for local SMEs.
“The council has also shown great strength across the motorsport industry and High Performance Technologies Sector by supporting the development of Silverstone and safeguarding the future of the British Grand Prix. The sector is the base for more than 1,500 companies employing over 21,000 people and contributing £2 billion to the local economy. I would like to congratulate them on their fantastic achievements.”
Northamptonshire County Council also picked up the award for encouraging export, thanks to the positive work undertaken by the Local Enterprise Partnership. They are one of the few LEPs to have set up a European Office helping them to build trade links in Europe and work closely alongside UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).
Councillor Jim Harker, Leader of Northamptonshire County Council said:
“I’m delighted that we’ve received recognition by the government for all the good work we’ve been doing to bring economic prosperity to Northamptonshire. We are committed to creating the conditions to bring economic growth to our county and will do what ever we can to boost business and enterprise.”
“Silverstone and the British Grand Prix give Northamptonshire an international profile so it was essential that we stepped in to help where we could. However our work with Silverstone is just a part of the many initiatives we have in place to prepare the county for future growth.
“We also see the importance of establishing strong trade links with Europe and beyond and are please that our innovative approach to this has been endorsed by the government.”
The other UK category winner for ‘Promoting Enterprise’ went to YTKO’s Outset programme for their work in providing support to under represented enterprise groups in partnership with local authorities.
In what was a strong field of entrants there was an additional special judge’s award for Darwen Aldridge Community Academy. The school links students with the local community to develop business ideas among young people. Since launching the project in 2010, the school has engaged with over 3,000 pupils and businesses in the local area to promote enterprise.
Northamptonshire County Council and YTKO will now go on to represent the UK at this year’s European Enterprise Promotion Awards for ‘improving the business environment’ and ‘promoting entrepreneurial spirit’ respectively. The awards are run by the European Commission and take place in Nicosia, Cyprus on 15 November 2012, which is during Global Entrepreneurship Week.
The category winners in full:
European Enterprise Promotion Awards
The European Jury will select winners around five categories and will award its Grand Jury Prize to the entry that is considered to be the most creative and inspiring initiative promoting entrepreneurship overall.
More information on the European Commission’s European Enterprise Awards
