Bosses at North Yorkshire Council say they aim to build closer links with small business across the county.

There are more than 32,700 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises across North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire Council say these businesses, as well as voluntary and community sector organisations, are already a “key focus” for them when awarding contracts for delivering services.

But now, the unitary council say it aims to provide smaller businesses with further support so they can compete effectively with their larger competitors to secure public sector contracts.

They say the scale of these opportunities will see more than £600 million spent on contracts with the private sector during the current financial year.

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Council leader Cllr Carl Les said:  “We recognise the important role that smaller businesses play in the success of North Yorkshire’s economy, bringing in vital investment and supporting tens of thousands of jobs.

“As a council, we have a firm commitment to helping these smaller enterprises flourish, and they are key to helping us deliver services to hundreds of thousands of residents across the county.” 

Deputy leader and executive member for finance Cllr Gareth Dadd, whose portfolio includes procurement, added: “The opportunities that we have now as one council to provide efficiencies of scale by signing contracts for a single organisation are set to bring millions of pounds of savings.

“These will be especially important as we face such a challenging financial situation with the current level of inflation and the cost of living.”