Businesses in north Somerset are being urged to look for a new commercial affairs officer, who will advise on all matters relating to the sale of their commercial assets, after the commercial affairs department said it was “actively looking for” a new position.
The Commercial Affairs Commissioner’s office said the new role would start in the coming weeks and could be “completed by the end of March”.
It added that it was in the process of “evaluating all available candidates” and that it expected to “work closely” with the commercial development department in a bid to “build upon the excellent work that has already been done”.
The commercial affairs minister, David Lloyd-Jones, said: “We are actively looking for a commercial affairs role in the Chilston and North Somerset region, where we will continue to support businesses by providing advice on all commercial matters, and also by supporting them in their pursuit of growth.”
This role will provide a unique opportunity for us to work with commercial organisations and businesses, to work together to make a real difference to the lives of those who live and work in Chilts and North Sintelles.
“Commercial Affairs Commissioner Michael Halsall, who is also the minister for business, said he had been in discussions with “a number of potential candidates” but added that he hoped to announce the “most suitable candidate” within the next week.
Commercial Affairs Minister for Chichester, Jonathan Moulton, said that while he welcomed the announcement, he was not yet “confident” that the role would “fit the profile” of the Commercial Affairs Minister.”
We are working to identify a suitable candidate for the role, and I am hopeful that the most appropriate candidate will be announced within the coming week,” he said.
Mr Halsland said that his department would continue to “help the commercial sector” by providing “financial and technical support” and “working with business leaders to encourage and facilitate growth”.
Mr Moulston added that the commercial services sector had been “working hard to attract the best and brightest from across the world” to come and “to support the success of our business community in Chichesters”.
He said that the “very best people” in the sector were “working to make Chilsey a better place”.”
We have a strong track record of supporting businesses and entrepreneurs and have been able to achieve this through an aggressive strategy, including investment in the City of Chichesey’s strategic transport network, which has transformed the town and the economy of the region,” he added.
Chichester has become the latest area of the country to be hit by the economic crisis as businesses across the country have struggled to survive.
Chiltern has lost almost 70,000 jobs since the 2008/09 recession and more than 20,000 since the economic downturn.
The government has made “urgent” cuts to services, such as housing, and has announced a “massive” increase in the VAT rate.
Businesses have been struggling to survive in the town.
A number of businesses in the area have closed their doors in recent months.
The Local Government Association said that it would be “disappointed” if Chichets business “is closed forever” following the announcement of the new position, adding that it is “time to put the Government’s economic and financial priorities first”.
The Local Enterprise Partnership, which represents Chiche’s business and community leaders, said it had “been left to our local authority to determine what is best for Chissel’s business”.