Milton Keynes City Council has won a Federation of Small Businesses award for its role in supporting local businesses during and after the pandemic.
The City Council has been awarded the ‘Local Authority Business Support – South Central award for the work done through its £3.1m Economic Recovery Plan. The Plan saw the City Council and local businesses work together to design and deliver a recovery programme to drive growth and build resilience.
Businesses in Milton Keynes were among the first to receive financial support thanks to MK City Council’s prompt roll out of £74m of business grants and a structured support programme which has benefitted more than 900 local businesses and 3,400 residents.
The Economic Recovery Plan set out support for local firms over the short, medium and long-term. Some of its projects have included:
- Working with The Rebel Business School to teach essential skills to budding entrepreneurs. The event in Milton Keynes achieved the largest attendance for a single area in ten years.
- A £250,000 support package to help women back into work. The City Council’s partnership with the Love Local Hub in centre:MK provided support to 150 female entrepreneurs.
- MK City Council launched a £500,000 ‘Green Recovery Business Fund’ to support businesses take up a more sustainable future.
Deputy Leader of MK City Council, Cllr Robin Bradburn said: “We’ve been really encouraged to see how the business community in MK has come together, and I’m proud that as a Council we were able to help them.
“Small businesses are the bedrock of our local economy and it was vital that we stepped up to support them during these tough times. The award is a testament to our partnership with local businesses and I look forward to continuing our work to grow the Milton Keynes economy.”