What Hampshire's Economic Development Office does.......

This is a brief introduction to the work of Hampshire County Council's Economic Development Office.  For further details on any of these areas, please visit our latest Service Plan  2mb or contact our office (details below.)

Economic Policy

We work with our regional partners (such as SEEDA) and local partners (such as Hampshire Economic Partnership) to develop a coherent, sustainable approach to the development of the local economy.  We represent the economic and business interest to the Hampshire Strategic Partnership as well as helping develop economic targets in the Hampshire Local Area Agreement.
We have also been working together with our lead partner JobcentrePlus to develop an Employment Strategy for Hampshire.  2mb  The Strategy will coordinate the contributions of several organisations in order to achieve better results by agreeing joint targets, meeting employer needs and focussing resources. T

Recession Support Programmes

Hampshire County Council is helping businesses and individuals stay one step ahead in the recession, with a  range of projects set up by the Economic Development Office. Funding has been allocated from the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive (LABGI) funds to a range of initiatives aimed at addressing the impacts of the recession in Hampshire.

For further details, visit the Recession Support page

Rural Economy

in terms of its geographical area, Hampshire is a predominantly rural county so, to reflect this, the EDO leads on a number of initiatives and programmes designed to help prevent the decline of our rural economy, such as:-

• Local Food

• Market Towns

• Rural Development Programme

• Hampshire Fare

Business Support and Development

The Economic Development Office provides local businesses with a range of advisory and support services to encourage growth, competitiveness and investment.
These include:

• promoting investment in Hampshire

• providing information and signposting to other business support agencies

• advising on land and property needs

• giving maximum opportunity to local firms to supply goods and services

• supporting local business-to-business projects

• promoting business tourism with key intitiatives such as Film Hampshire and Conference Hampshire

• promoting Hampshire companies and encouraging business excellence and growth through the Hampshire Ambassadors scheme

• encouraging business excellence by supporting county business awards

• promoting ICT through eHampshire and MATISSE

Working with Communities

The Economic Development Office works with local communities through the following initiatives:-

• e.VOLve, the online directory of voluntary and community organisations serving Hampshire and the Isle of Wight

• Everybody-on-Line in Havant

• Market Towns programme

Sustainable businesses & the environment

Sustainability is not simply a desirable but a 'must-have' for businesses in the global economy today.  Find out what the EDO does to help facilitate sustainable growth in our sustainable business pages

Partnerships

The Economic Development Office could not do most of the above without working in partnership with others. Hampshire County Council works closely with many partners in its economic development activity , including the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and other local authorities, Chambers of Commerce, Business Link and other business support agencies, the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Learning & Skills Council and the private sector. The Economic Development Office is a key player in many of the county's economic partnerships, in particular the Hampshire Economic Partnership.

For further details about the Economic Development Office, contact us at:
Room 322, The Castle, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UJ
Tel: 01962 846381 Fax: 01962 878131
email: economic.development@hants.gov.uk