Burnside is a Small Business Friendly Council
In a joint statement the City of Burnside Mayor, Anne Monceaux, and CEO, Chris Cowley, announced today that Burnside is now a Small Business Friendly Council.
"We are pleased to announce that in line with our new Strategic Plan to support the local economy and our small businesses, the City of Burnside has been formally accepted as a Small Business Friendly Council (SBFC) by the South Australian Small Business Commissioner, John Chapman. This is an important initiative that will foster an equitable and more supportive environment for local businesses, " the Mayor and CEO said.
The SBFC Initiative aims to assist Council in enabling economic development, enhancing local relationships, boosting networking and encouraging business opportunities. Burnside Council will work towards meeting specific goals of the SBFC Charter and staff will have access to information sharing and networking between Councils across the State – including workshops, newsletters and case studies.
Mayor Monceaux said that as leaders in the community Council recognises the invaluable contribution local businesses make to the City’s economy, in creating employment opportunities and providing a sense of community. Local government has an important role to play in stimulating economic development, for when you buy locally, your money stays locally.
“We intend to support them through the challenges of starting, running and growing their ventures. We want to provide every opportunity for COB businesses to succeed, reduce red tape and provide for initiatives to help small business owners feel less isolated and access training that is focused on their needs,” the Mayor said.
The City of Burnside will also continue our partnerships with business organisation Propel SA and the Eastern Region Alliance (ERA) Economic Development Group to provide invaluable networking and mentor services to our businesses.
“With the right support, small businesses will thrive in our prosperous, adaptive and much valued City, and overcome the many challenges that have presented themselves during this difficult year. This new affiliation will provide support and incentives for success in the future,” the Mayor said.
What does being a Small Business Friendly Council mean?
That the City of Burnside is committed to supporting our local small business community through the Small Business Friendly Council Initiative by:
- recognising the small business community as an important stakeholder and consulting regularly with it
- understanding how small businesses operate and their needs, goals and key challenges
- providing clear and concise service standards, which set out what we will do to support local small business
- taking reasonable action to limit unnecessary administrative burdens
- reviewing our policies to check for 'small business friendliness' on a regular basis
- implementing activities to improve the operating environment for small business within our area
- establishing a business advisory group to assist us in understanding the needs of local small business
- implementing a procurement policy which recognises that local small business is a significant contributor to economic development in our area
- ensuring prompt payment of small business invoices
- managing disputes in a timely and cost effective manner.
Find out more about what it means to be a Small Business Friendly Council and the Small Business Friendly Initiative at these links.
