The City of Hull has been recognised for its city-wide approach to investment in education and training programmes.
The City of Hull received an Improving the Business Environment Award in the Enterprising Britain Awards and also given the title of the most enterprising place in Britain, a title previously held by Birmingham. The awards, which are now in their fourteenth year, celebrate the work of public sector organisations that support and encourage entrepreneurialism across the UK.
Judges were impressed by the citys programmes to invigorate the economy, including the Green Port Hull project, a £310m investment from Siemens and Associated British Ports to begin to establish Hull and East Yorkshire as a world-class centre for renewable energy. Innovative schemes like the Hull Youth Support Trust, which has received over £160k in funding to reinvigorate a previously under-utilised Council property into office space for young entrepreneurs, are proving a resounding success, leading to unprecedented numbers of businesses being formed.
As a result of these projects, there are now 5,000 more jobs and 6,800 more people in employment compared to 2011. The citys economy is now on a growth trajectory, and in 2016 Hull registered the strongest growth rate in the country, 43 per cent ahead of the UK as a whole.
Small Business Minister, Margot James, said: The Enterprising Britain Awards are a fantastic reminder of what can be achieved when we bring together local knowledge and leadership to provide targeted support to entrepreneurs and the innovative businesses they build.
I want to congratulate the City of Hull for their enormous success. They are a fantastic example of what can be achieved by applying an innovative approach to supporting businesses, and I wish them continued success.
Councillor Martin Mancey, Portfolio Holder for Economic Investment, Regeneration and Planning, said: I am absolutely delighted that Hull has been recognised as the most enterprising place in Britain over the last five years the Council and its many partners in the business world, local community and the government have worked to increase the citys profile which in turn has seen us secure major investment in the city. This backdrop of investment has enabled us to work with significant numbers of new entrepreneurs to establish and grow their businesses.
Coming in the same year as Hull being the City of Culture this recognition will be another step forward for the city in creating the right environment to support our business community to develop and grow who in turn are creating quality opportunities for our communities.
Other winners include North Tyneside, which was recognised with the Start-up Spirit award; Hatch Enterprise Incubator for Building Enterprise Skills and Business West won the Support for Exporting award.
The Enterprising Britain Awards are part of the Governments drive to increase entrepreneurial activity in the UK. They are managed by Investment in Young People on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).