COULD budding York entrepreneurs face their own, less fiery, Dragons’ Den?

That is one of the ideas being mooted for a special business conference being organised by the City of York Council in October.

A special group of local experts could be formed to help people with new money-making and jobs-generating ideas in similar style to the television series in which millionaires have to be persuaded to invest. Only the York version would be “more helpful, less abrasive”.

That, said the council’s new Labour leader, Coun James Alexander, is one prospect that could be discussed at the conference which will seek to find ways of growing the city economy and getting the private sector to support start-ups.

Coun Alexander said: “Also worth discussing is the promotion of US-style ‘business buddy’ systems in which mentors help start-ups to establish and grow.”

A venue for the conference has not yet been decided, but the object will be to explore ways of breeding new start-ups, encouraging businesses to relocate and bring jobs to the city and to encourage existing York firms to grow.

Meanwhile, at a private meeting with the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce at the Innovation Centre in York last night, Coun Alexander said York had one of the highest skills sets in the north, yet one of the lowest entrepreneurial rates.

He told The Press: “Our start-ups do not have competitive start-up rates. It could be that our educated people work well for employers without setting up their own business.

“We have to cross that barrier to stimulate the economy.”

On Thursday Coun Alexander will attend a private leaders’ board meeting for the Leeds City Region. He also sits on the Board of the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.