Recruitment begins for South Yorkshire’s new Business Advisory Board

The new Business Advisory Board will launch after the summer, with the aim of allowing more businesses to convene and engage with decisions undertaken at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) that affect the business community.

SYMCA wants to hear voices from a wide range of sectors, from different types of organisations, and from businesses at different stages of growth – from start-ups to more established businesses.

The Board will meet formally six times a year to engage in problem-solving and deep dive into the urgent and important issues facing our region. It will provide much-needed insight to help shape and design innovative policies and programmes, and positively challenge SYMCA and partners to ensure local support really works for businesses and communities.

The proposed role and remit of BAB members includes:

Shaping South Yorkshire’s thinking on issues of importance to businesses and the region’s economic future, ensuring these are heard and considered by the MCA and inform its decisions

Helping develop thinking on MCA priorities where the business voice can add the most value

Sharing intelligence to inform how the region supports new and existing businesses to grow and thrive

Serving as a forum to surface issues that the Mayor and Local Authority Leaders may need to address

Enabling advocacy, networking, and engagement regionally.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “I am determined to create a bigger and better economy in South Yorkshire; to spread prosperity more equitably, to harness our talent and potential, and to create thousands of new jobs in the industries of the future. South Yorkshire has to be a place where everyone has the chance to thrive. But we can only build a bigger, better economy if we work in partnership with our business community, with them playing a full role in shaping our policies and plans.

“The new Business Advisory Board will be a strong voice to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to support businesses to thrive and grow, and that we’re able to harness and champion all the great work we’re all doing here in South Yorkshire.”

“Our region is turning a corner. We’re more ambitious, more confident and we’re working better together. With this new board in place, I’ve no doubt that we’re going to build a bigger, better economy that works for everyone. This is a new chapter for South Yorkshire and it’s all about improving the lives of people right across our communities.”

You can find more information about the Business Advisory Board, including how to apply here