Councillor Don Palmer Providing Local Leadership & Working for You

My local leadership is advancing economic prosperity in the City of Unley.

 

Economic DevelopmentOne of my election promises back in 2018 was for the Unley Business & Economic Committee to be a more proactive committee. A committee looking at a more holistic approach to economic prosperity than previously.

I can report today that I am chairing a working group to examine what role the Council will take in our future economic growth. This working group will be meeting weekly over the next 4 weeks or so. We aim to complete a significant amount of work already undertaken to create a new Economic Growth strategy.

Appropriately, a new Economic Growth strategy to replace the old Business & Economic Development Strategy. The committee’s base recommendation importantly will be that we need to take a more holistic approach.

As I indicated in my blog of 26 Sept 2018, we have focused too narrowly. Concentrating on just our four main retail strips. Most importantly, we have identified that many other businesses deserve our taking an interest in their success. This includes shop front businesses on streets other than the four main streets. Likewise, it includes home-based businesses as promised by me back in 2018. It also includes non-retail shopfront businesses.

 

The working group has determined that we will be recommending to Council that we form a new committee. A committee, at this stage, called perhaps the Economic Development Advisory Committee.

 

There are several initiatives we are examining in the next 4 or so weeks. Guiding these deliberations are two excellent reports commissioned previously by Council.

The more recent is a report by the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies. A report Council has already accepted in principle. It is most importantly the document the working group is focusing their deliberations on.

The other report focuses on the old UBED committee. Likewise, the Street Trader Association model that has been operating for some time. This was prepared by consultant Jeff Tate Consulting.

What the working group is doing will go a long way to my fulfilling my election commitment. Accordingly, the result should see the platform for an enduring focus on advancing economic prosperity in the City of Unley.