The council’s Performance Committee heard an update from the council’s Economic Development team which includes the Business Gateway dedicated to help new starts.
Almost 400 new jobs were created in the last year from around the same number of new businesses started in West Lothian.
The council’s Performance Committee heard an update from the council’s Economic Development team which includes the Business Gateway dedicated to help new starts.
Clare Stewart, Community Wealth Building Manager, outlined the diverse workload of the Economic Development department that covers a range of projects from job creation to community development and skills training for the long-term unemployed.
The Business Gateway team saw 385 new jobs created in the last financial year by new business start-ups. The service actually helped 321 new firms launch over the same period.
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That figure translates as just over 17 new firms per 10,000 head of population, compared to a Scottish average of just over 12.
The Access2Employment team supported 1,054 people over the year with 559 helped into work, education or training by council officers.
They have also boosted the number of wage subsidy places in the country through its StepsN2Work programme giving more than 70 people the first vital steps onto the work ladder.
Councillor Danny Logue asked about the difficulty of employing those who have been unemployed long term and the way some present themselves at interviews.
Ms Stewart said: “We have teams of employment advisers who work with people, we have pre-employability support so that’s about looking at health and well-being with a view to progressing on to employment and we work very closely with our partners in DWP and Skills Development Scotland.”
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The department is also working to address areas of deprivation in the county. Locality Plans have been drawn up for 13 areas, from Armadale to Bridgend. In these regeneration officers work with local people to address issues raised in the community.
Ms Stewart said the teams look at what the opportunities are and how the council can work with communities to address the inequalities in the area.
Committee chair Councillor Peter Heggie asked if there was a way that the success of such schemes could be measured.
Ms Stewart told councillors: “Tackling deprivation isn’t something that happens overnight. If you look at areas where we have supported the creation of a community development trust and they have then gone on from a part time member of staff supported by the council to owning two or three assets, employing their own staff and bringing income into that community and supporting the council to deliver services. Every community’s journey is different and sometimes we need to look at the longer term impact.”
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