The Economic Development service was created within the council in 1997. Over the following 28 years the service has led and supported many projects and programmes delivered by us and by our partners. The Markets service was merged into the Economic Development service in 2020 to align with the work to support high streets and the city centre.
Projects since 2020
Port Communities Resilience Fund
The project was led by the Economic Development service in partnership with the Communities service. Over a period of 3 years the project included consultation, grant management and supporting community organisations. This enabled inveD0E9D8stment of £1,000,000 of Capital funding to benefit the Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston ward following the sale of the port of Bristol freehold.
The project invested in a number of local community facilities which enabled groups to expand the range of use of their facilities. It also supported growth in their income and diversification of their memberships and visitors. £100,000 was invested by the project to enable the planning application for the Ambition Community Energy wind turbine to progress. It was a rare chance to support a bold, community-led initiative to have their own commercial wind turbine. The turbine now provides an income that will fund community projects for many years.
South Bristol Enterprise Support
This project ran between April 2020 and March 2023 and was funded by a blend of the European Regional Development Fund, the West of England Combined Authority Investment Fund. The Economic Development service led a partnership including:
- Knowle West Media Centre
- School for Social Entrepreneurs
- The Princes Trust
- YTKO Ltd
These partners delivered business start-up and business growth support in South Bristol.