Following the outcome of the City of York Council Executive meeting yesterday evening (15th December 2020), it has been confirmed that an investment package will be put in place to secure the future of Make It York and their continued role in supporting York’s economic growth and recovery.
The decision places Make It York in a strong position to continue to deliver on key areas including tourism, inward investment, business support, culture, events and city centre management and play an important role in helping York to recover from the current crisis and build back better.
Sean Bullick, Managing Director at Make It York said:
“We are very appreciative of this support from City of York Council, and for the wider backing we have received from right across the city’s business community. Without a doubt, 2020 has been a challenging year and not what anyone could have anticipated – however we are very optimistic about 2021 and the future for York’s recovery and economic growth. York has such a strong foundation upon which to build, and the opportunity there for our city is huge.
Our focus now must be recovering our established economies and working together to build the prosperous future we all want to see for our city. With the calibre of Make It York’s Board of Directors and the expert team we have in place, I strongly believe that we can make a significant and unique contribution to economic growth and recovery in the city. We will continue to work closely with partners across the city to achieve this – from local businesses and City of York Council to York’s Universities and key organisations such as York BID and the region’s Local Enterprise Partnerships.
On a personal level I’d like to thank all our staff who have continued to work incredibly hard during this difficult period and all our members and partners across the city who have shown their continued support. Working together closely is the key to the success of York’s recovery in 2021, and through collaboration and strong partnerships we can build back better and come out of this positively as a city.”
Since the pandemic started, the organisation has directly supported over 700 businesses in the city, holding 39 roundtables across 13 sectors with organisations from start-ups to major businesses, to understand business needs, develop provision and lobby for resources at the highest levels with central government. In the last three years, Make It York’s Growth
Managers have supported 322 companies in York to access £1,498,589 in grants from the Leeds City Region alone.
In addition to a critical business support function, Make It York have delivered on a series of high-profile events this year to support local businesses and to raise York’s profile – including York Business Week, Roadmap to Recovery at the Festival of Ideas, York’s Creative Future to launch the city’s new Culture Strategy, and the Visit York Tourism Awards. A further key part of Make It York’s role is to lead on the Tourism Marketing Recovery Strategy alongside City of York Council, marketing York as a welcoming destination to residents and visitors and delivering on initiatives such as York’s first ever virtual Christmas Market to bring the magic of York into people’s homes and rolling out a safe and welcoming city-centre Christmas offer.
Following the news earlier this month that Make It York had requested investment from City of York Council, business leaders from across the city came out in support of the work the organisation has been carrying out.
Jon Flatman, Chairman of York City Knights said:
“We have worked in partnership with Make It York on a number of projects and initiatives over the recent months, including the Rugby League World Cup, and have been impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment that the team have shown, by their new methods of working and the reality of connecting with businesses and people to make a difference, particularly through this difficult time.
“We know that Make It York have been working incredibly hard to develop a robust plan for recovery in the city – taking an agile approach to incorporate changing Government guidance and feedback from local businesses. Their focus has very much been on helping the city to bounce back and supporting businesses to recover from the impact of the pandemic.”
Richard Wood, York Businessman said:
“I have worked with Make It York on a number of issues, including our really exciting, current Roman Quarter development. In my experience, they do a great job and have a vital role to play in raising York’s profile and attracting the sort of investment we need to help grow and diversify our economy.”
David Kerfoot MBE DL Chair, York and North Yorkshire LEP said:
“With devolution, and all the economic opportunities it presents, Make It York’s expertise and networks will be vital in ensuring we maximise the potential by pulling together all the different interests across the city.”
Johnny Hayes, Chairman of Indie York said: “Make It York understands the importance of independent businesses to York and have always been supportive of our work. I think their reach and ability to promote York is important. The pandemic has been difficult for all concerned with the high Street and MIY are no exception in being affected by those pressures.”
More information about the work Make It York does can be found at www.makeityork.com
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Make It York
Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings – nationally and internationally – as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. The company’s remit covers leisure and business tourism, city centre management, festivals and events, business support and inward investment.
One of Make It York’s strategic aims is to promote York as a brilliant place to do business, helping to support business growth and innovation across a range of business sectors, such as financial & professional services, rail and high value manufacturing and to stimulate greater inward investment.
For further information please contact:
Amy Goodman – Consumer Communications Manager Email: amy.goodman@makeityork.com
