ECONOMIC growth remains one of the best ways of maintaining talent and younger people in rural Dorset – according to the Dorset Council Cabinet post holder for growth.

Cllr Richard Biggs said much of the focus would be on the Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester area, as well as the main market towns.

His comments came during a discussion on Dorset Council’s growth and economic development strategy which will be developed by a working group.

Cllr Richard Biggs says the strategy will continue to evolve with the involvement of all councillors through a growth board which will focus more on rural Dorset than the previous arrangements, through the Dorset-wide Local Enterprise Partnership, which included Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. Dorset Council is set to leave the LEP on or before the end of March 2025.

Cllr Biggs told Cabinet members there was already an awareness of the shortage of suitable land for development and, in some areas, known skills shortages, along with problems of affordable housing and being able to retain skilled workers for some sectors of the county’s economy.

“It makes it a challenge but its not something we should shy away from. There is an awful lot of interest in Dorset … but you do need to support people to stay here, and work, and economic growth is the best way of improving prosperity and lifting people out of poverty,” said Cllr Biggs.

“There is a lot of work to do yet, this is just the start, but we are not starting from a blank page. We have a lot of the key data.”

The council’s finance portfolio holder Cllr Simon Clifford (Chickerell) said he believed there was “a huge opportunity in Dorset to make significant gains for the economy” which would need the council to be more proactive on every level, including nationally.

Cllr Simon Gibson (Verwood) who had worked on economic growth plans in the previous, Conservative, administration at County Hall, welcomed that the work was continuing, but said he worried that many of the proposals are in the Weymouth and Dorchester areas with little planned for the North and East of the county, although he supported the regeneration of Weymouth.

Cllr David Northam (Upwey & Broadwey) said he had no worries about Dorset Council leaving the LEP. He said when its officials came to talk to Weymouth Town Council they struggled to explain what difference they had made for the area – apart from sponsoring a couple of courses at local colleges.

“The LEP was very good at picking low-hanging fruit, which was focused around Bournemouth Airport and I’m now hoping we can move forward with a more Dorset unitary council focus,” he said.

He said the Council now needed to look where ‘the big money’ was coming from and tailor it to areas in the county where it was best suited, possibly working with the Chamber of Commerce, also focusing on education providers.

A report before councillors shows that the Dorset Council area has around 20,000 businesses, generating over £8.45b and supporting 145,000 jobs, but is relatively narrowly focused.

“The business base is varied with particular strengths in tourism, advanced engineering & manufacturing, and defence and security with many businesses delivering innovative and exciting products.”