Supporting local businesses

Want to know which of your favourite products and services are still available or are you one of the York businesses still allowed to trade and could benefit from free advertising?

If so, help is at hand from local media in a variety of ways:

  • Join the Connected York app – just download it from your app store
    (Please note this is a new product and City of York Council are not affiliated with the app)

Portal goes live for business support applications

An online application portal is now up and running for businesses to use to apply for grant funding.

There have been announcements made over recent days about support available to businesses that have been impacted by the Covid-19 restrictions.

City of York Council has brought together a lot of relevant information for businesses on its website HERE

Two of the grants that are available are the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant. To qualify for these grants, businesses must have been liable for the business rates on their property on 11 March 2020 and have an entitlement to the Expanded Retail Discount.

Full details of the grants, along with an online application form, are available on the council website HERE

Unemployment level down again in York

 

Got jobCity of York Council has welcomed figures that have shown the number of York residents claiming Jobseekers Allowance and Universal Credit (out of employment) has again fallen.

The statistics, released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show there are now 1,025 claimants in York, a fall of 210 (17 per cent) from November 2014 and of 27 residents claiming jobseekers allowance and Universal Credit in the last month.

The figures also showed the number of young people claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit has also fallen by 63.27 per cent in the last year.

The Jobseekers Allowance claimant count for York represents 0.5 per cent of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 2 per cent. The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 1.5 per cent.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economic Development of City of York Council said:

“I am pleased that the long-term figures show a reduction in the number of claimants in the past 12 months. As an Executive we remain committed to working with partners across the city to support residents looking for work. With the recent positive news in relation to York’s economy with announcements such as the York Central proposals, the opening of the Hiscox offices and the announcement regarding the BID will hopefully see this positive trend continue and offer more opportunities for York residents.”

Unemployment level drops again in York

Job-HuntingFigures released today that show the number of York residents claiming Job Seekers Allowance has fallen by 47.6 per cent in the last 12 months.

The statistics, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show there are now 722 claimants in York, a fall of 41 from last month and of 653 from September 2014.

Today’s figures showed the number of jobseekers in York has fallen for the seventh consecutive month and also highlighted a 67.2 per cent fall in the Youth unemployment count since September 2014.

The claimant count represents 0.5 per cent of the working population and contrasts to the regional average which stands at 2.2 per cent. The figures are also much lower than the national average which stands at 1.6 per cent.

The news comes following last month’s York Jobs Fair which attracted over 800 residents taking the chance to gain advice and speak to a number of businesses about vacancies in the city.

There are a large number of job vacancies in York at present (click) including a number at the Council (click)

Teenagers job and training fair at Knavesmire on 20th October.

Job-Search-AppsCity of York Council’s annual Steps to Success event is back at York Racecourse on Tuesday 20 October.

Held in the Knavesmire Stand from 3.30pm until 8.00pm, the event will provide information about the range of education and training opportunities available (including apprenticeships and other work based training).

The event looks to support young people in the city as they consider their options for Key Stage 4 and Post-16 education, training or employment, particularly as all current year 11 pupils now have to remain in training or education until the age of 18.

Young people will be able to access information from five different information zones at the session; Key Stage 4, Post-16, Progression to Higher Education, Career Pathways and Support Services, as well as the opportunity to hear about the experiences of current learners.

Attendees will also be able to view a series of presentations of around 15 minutes offering advice on Options for Key Stage 4 and Beyond, Options for Post 16 Education and Training, apprenticeships, Progression to Higher Education and Future Job Opportunities will run throughout the event.

Councillor Jenny Brooks, Executive member for Education, Children and Young People said: “This popular annual event provides young people and their parents and carers with information and advice about their options for the future. As a council we are committed to supporting young people across the city and helping them meet their aspirations. Through work with a range of schools, employers, training providers and universities, Steps to Success looks to offer the opportunity for young people to consider their next steps as well as the longer term progression routes and higher education options that are available to young people.”

City of York Council has worked in partnership with the University of York and York St John University to stage the event, as part of its commitment to widening participation in Higher Education.

For any additional information please contact Beverley Wills, 14-19 Support Adviser, City of York Council on 01904 553008 or beverley.wills@york.gov.uk .

Unemployment level edges up in York – 0.7% seeking work

Figures released today by the Office of National Statistics confirm that employment levels in York remain fairly stable.

  • 976 people were seeking work and claiming Job Seekers Allowance in July.unemployed_queue_benefits_DWP
  • This represented 0.7% of the population.
  • Of the job seekers, 665 were men and 321 women.
  • The figures remain below the regional (2.4%) and national (1.9%) averages
  • In June 2015, 791 (0.6%) people were recorded as seeking work in the City

York near top of apprenticeship table

ApprenticeshipLatest Government figures put York in the top 5% of English local authorities for apprenticeship take-up.

They also set the city in the top 10% of local authorities for keeping young people in education or training after Year 11.

Official figures from the Skills Funding Agency and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published earlier this month, show that over the past nine months, the increase in the percentage of York residents starting apprenticeships is in England’s top 5% when compared to all other local authorities.

Government data published on 2 July 2015showed that in the nine months up to April 2015, 1,340 York residents started an apprenticeship compared to 1,300 in the previous twelve months. In York there is a well-established network of training providers delivering high quality training for apprentices. A key lead co-ordinating role is played by the York Apprenticeship Hub based at the council.

For school leavers, the figures show that of all York’s Year 11 students leaving school in summer 2014, 97.4% were continuing their education and training. This puts York in the top 10% of local authorities in England for retaining young people in education or training.

The detail shows that nearly 90% of all post-16 school leavers in 2014 continued with their education at a college or a school sixth form, which puts York in the top 10% of local authorities in England. A further 6.4% of school leavers took up employment with integrated training and/or apprenticeships while only 2% were not in education, employment and training (NEET).
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York eleventh in foreign visitor league table

According to new figures published by ONS, York attracted fewer foreign visitors than its neighbour Leeds last year. The City was also behind both Oxford and Cambridge

City visits by foreign visitors 2014

The visitors included those on business trips and well as holidaymakers.

Neither the York Council nor Visit York have as yet commented on the new figures.

There was an increase in the number of visits to the UK by overseas residents for the fourth consecutive year in 2014, and the highest number of visits since the IPS began in 1961. It also had the highest recorded spending.

In 2014 overseas residents made 34.4 million visits to the UK, 5.2% higher than in 2013.

Earnings from visits to the UK reached a record level of spending in the UK of £21.8 billion, they increased by £0.6 billion (2.8%) compared to 2013.

The number of nights spent in the UK rose to 264.6 million, an increase of 7.8% compared to the previous year.

Visits from North America and Europe increased in 2014 by 3.3% and 6.6% respectively. Spending from North America and Europe also grew by 11.6% and 4.2%. However, visits and spending by visitors from “Other Countries” showed a decline of 0.2% and 2.9% respectively.

Holidays remain the main reason for visits to the UK, accounting for 13.6 million visits, a rise of 7.2% compared with 2013. Business visits and visits to friends and family both showed a growth of 4.8%.

A record 17.4 million overnight visits to London were made by overseas residents in 2014, an increase of 0.6 million (3.5%) from 2013, and £11.8 billion was spent on these visits.

Overnight visits to the rest of England grew by 5.1% to 14.2 million. Visits to Scotland and Wales also continued to rise in 2014, with Scottish visits up 11.5% and Welsh up 7.3%.

UK residents made 4.0% more visits abroad and spent £1.0 billion (3.0%) more during these visits in 2014 than 2013. The length of visit also increased, up 1.9% to 616.5 million nights.