Agenda item

Mark Healy, Regeneration and Economy Programme Manager, introduced the eight Micro Business Grant applications. He noted that two of the applications are specifically for the recruitment of an apprentice of which one sought a grant for both business growth and an apprentice. He noted that if all grants were to be approved by the Panel then a total of £63,068.77 would have been allocated from the current Micro Business Grants funding pool, leaving a balance of £8,359.80 remaining.

All the applications were assessed against the criteria of delivering wider outreach, assisting with the delivery of new business lines, enabling more employees to be taken on, and delivering benefits to the community. Each business has also passed Officers due diligence checks.

The applications which were recommended for consideration and approval by the

Panel are set out below:

The Vice-Chairman requested that the business owner’s name be included in the brief of the business as councillors have a significant number of connections within the local community and he does not always find the link between an individual and an applying business which could lead to an interest not being declared.

The Regeneration and Economy Programme Manager confirmed that the owner’s name can be included in future reports.

Holly-Jade Ryder, Business Development Officer, introduced the application from Sell4Profit Ltd which sought a grant to undertake a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) project to promote the business. She noted that previous applications which sought a grant to undertake a SEO have proved very successful in driving business growth.

The Vice-Chairman drew attention to Appendix B and highlighted that the business only scored 12 out of a possible 35 in the scoring for applicants.

The Business Development Officer confirmed that the applicant only received a low score as their application was very specific which would naturally score lower as it only meets certain requirements of the application.

The Chairman felt that a project cost of £4,000 is quite generous and enquired how that figure was calculated.

The Business Development Officer explained that the cost of SEO projects can vary depending on the traffic reaching the website and therefore is hard to quantify. She said that it is likely the project will be costed under the requested amount and reassured the Chairman the grant will be paid on receipt of an invoice.

The Member expressed that he was happy to award the grant as long as the business is assured growth.

Members were supportive of the application.

William Hawkins, The Economic Development Officer introduced the application from The Jonathan Lea Network which sought a grant to undertake a series of marketing and promotional activities to increase awareness of the business. He noted that the business is looking at putting advertisements in local news publications, creating their own business networking event in Brighton, running a local charity cricket tournament for local businesses, and joining the Brighton & Hove Business Network.

The Vice-Chairman noted that legal firms usually have a significant income and questioned whether their previous success should result in them applying for another grant.

The Regeneration and Economy Programme Manager explained that officers do recognise that the business is successful and probably could carry out these activities without the grant. He did note however that the application does meet the criteria of the scheme and officers would be obliged to put it forward to the Panel. He added that the potential for future prioritisation policy coming forward could deal with issues such as this.

The Chairman stated that they would have to revisit that area of concern during the next year of grant funding as it would not be appropriate to implement any additional schemes or policies in this round of grant funding.

Members were supportive of the application.

Members discussed the remaining six Micro Business Grant applications and were supportive of all.

RESOLVED

The Cabinet Grant Panel agreed:

                      i.        that a Microbusiness Grant of £1,800 be granted to Fine Baps to fund the introduction of a delivery service which requires kitting out the business van, equipment and marketing for the new service.

                     ii.        that a Microbusiness Grant of £2,090 be granted to Fun Pots to fund market research, the offer of a new service, an increase in staff hours and to employ an apprentice.

                    iii.        that a Microbusiness Grant of £2,000 be granted to Just Drinking Water Ltd to fund marketing activities for a new product line.

                   iv.        that a Microbusiness Grant of £1,500 be granted to Paul Johnson Photography to fund the employment of an apprentice.

                    v.        that a Microbusiness Grant of £1,873 be granted to RAW (Resilience and Wellbeing) to fund the launch of a new resilience and well-being service in the District.

                   vi.        that a Microbusiness Grant of £2,000 be granted to Sell4Profit Ltd to fund a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) project to promote the business.

                  vii.        that a Microbusiness Grant of £2,000 be granted to The Jonathan Lea Network to fund a series of marketing and promotional activities to increase awareness of the business

                 viii.        that a Microbusiness Grant of £2,000 be granted to The workABLE to fund training for the business to become a qualified Mental Health First Aid Instructor and offer workshops to raise awareness and train individuals in understanding mental health.