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The Yeovil Steering Group for the Market Towns Employment Project has been meeting monthly since October 2004. Having reviewed the baseline analysis for the town the group identified the main priorities for Yeovil as:

• Developing knowledge-based industries in the Yeovil area
• Greater encouragement of a higher professional skill base/knowledge based industry
• Foster business start-up and innovation, looking at spin outs from existing key industries and technology transfer from universities (including Bath)
• Attracting quality employers with higher rates of pay
• Attracting the professions and service industries to Yeovil, particularly the town centre
• Coherent inward investment strategy to attract new industry jobs. Strategy to encompass land availability, training, start-up support, marketing and lobbying in respect of regional infrastructure/communications links
• Raising the basic skill levels
• Higher profile high quality education promotion at HE/FE level
• Attract new skilled people and businesses to raise aspirations and bring wealth to the area thereby creating more opportunities for local people
• Retention of college leavers, employment opportunities
• Diversification of available employment
• Facilitating the provision of affordable housing
• More opportunities for new business
• Early implementation of the dualling of the A358

With these priorities as the starting point the next step was to commission the development of an outline inward investment strategy for Yeovil. A workshop for key stakeholders was held on Tuesday 22 March, when the views of employers and small businesses were obtained on:

• Where is the Yeovil economy going?
• What sorts of high value investment could be attracted?
• What are the town's strengths and attractions to potential investors?
• What are the barriers to developing a thriving knowledge sector in Yeovil?

Employers and small businesses were consulted on the draft strategy and project ideas at a further workshop on 30 June.  Click to view the strategic_objectives and the action_plan .

The group selected to use project funding to support the development of a protocol for an enhanced response to business enquiries.

Providing an Enhanced Response to Enquiries from Businesses

The process of developing a protocol for an enhanced response involved consultation with prospective partners and with the business community at individual meetings and a workshop in November 2005.

Yeovil needs to develop a more diverse and sustainable economy which builds on its strengths and which achieves greater variety and higher value employment opportunities.  To do this effectively the area must be able to:

• Provide the right climate for existing businesses to flourish.
• Provide an effective responsive service for (existing and new) businesses which are considering the Yeovil area as a place to invest
• Go out and proactively seek inward investment.

The final report outlined a three year programme for the development of a one stop shop service for handling business enquiries, moving it from a responsive service in year one to a proactive service in year three.

The partners overseeing the service would be Somerset County Council, South Somerset District Council, Business Link, Yeovil Town Council, Yeovil Chamber of Commerce, Yeovil Town Partnership, Job Centre Plus, the College and University Centre, agents/commercial property owners, SWRDA, Somerset Strategic Partnership and South Somerset Together.

The final protocol was presented to the key stakeholders and businesses at a workshop on 24 January 2006.  Commercial agents are willing to give time to steer the project.  The next steps were agreed.  The protocol will be presented to the Yeovil Vision Galaxy Group with the proposal that the one stop shop should sit alongside the Yeovil Vision delivery team.  Members of the group will develop a business plan to present to Somerset County Council and South Somerset District Council to approve funding.  A small board of key partners will be formed to steer the project.