The new North Yorkshire council has pledged to support the 32,000 small and medium-sized that make up the economy of its vast area.

The move follows the creation of the new council earlier this month, which replaced the country council and seven district councils.

The merger allows economic development to be co-ordinated across the county.

Executive member for open to business, Cllr Derek Bastiman, said: “There have been unprecedented challenges in recent years which have placed huge pressures on all businesses, whether that be down to the Covid-19 pandemic or the rising inflation which everyone has seen during the cost of living crisis.

“The new council will, however, provide us with an opportunity to bring together the experience, expertise and good practice that already exists across all the authorities in North Yorkshire. This will mean that there will be one point of contact for businesses to access support for skills, training, recruitment and access to funding, which will be of a huge benefit at such a challenging time economically.”

The new council says it is developing a clear economic growth strategy while consulting with businesses and stakeholders across North Yorkshire. It also aims to help York and North Yorkshire to become the country’s first carbon negative region, meaning more carbon dioxide emissions would be removed from the atmosphere than are emitted.

The strategy promises to support enterprise, innovation and investment, and will focus on new and emerging industries, such as green technologies, cyber and digital, finance and life sciences as well as more traditional sectors such as tourism, food and drink manufacturing and engineering.

The council says it will work alongside the county’s six MPs to lobby the Government for the best possible opportunities for businesses, ensuring that Ministers understand the issues that affect the county’s economy.

It will also continue to work in close partnership with the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), as well as City of York Council, as they prepare for the proposed mayoral combined authority for the region.

The chair of the LEP, Helen Simpson OBE, said: “We’re excited to continue this collaborative working with the new North Yorkshire Council and ensure that business support is easy to access and available across the whole of North Yorkshire.

“The York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub, which is part of the LEP, has worked closely with district and county council colleagues for several years to help provide local support for businesses.

“We’re also committed to building the Invest in York and North Yorkshire inward investment proposition, a partnership initiative designed to attract new business investment into the region.”