Summary for January 2000 Business Focus Group

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Summary

In the autumn of 1999, a random sample of local businesses were invited to send a senior member of staff to a business focus group to discuss the ‘Vision and Aims’ of Hastings Borough Council. The general view of these business focus groups was that the ‘Vision and Aims’ were broadly in accord with issues raised by the business sector, but, in addition to other recommendations made by the groups, there was a need for specific actionable targets and timescales.

As part of the programme of consultation on the Performance Plan, participants who had either attended, or expressed an interest in attending, the previous focus groups, were invited to a further group held at the Cinque Ports Hotel in Hastings on 28 February 2000 to discuss the draft Local Performance plan and the performance indicator targets included within it.

The topic guide for the focus groups included the following issues:

• General comments on the Council’s current achievements and the targets it is setting
• Comparisons with other authorities
• The extent to which the Plan/Indicators are perceived to support local business
• How an effective dialogue with the business sector can be achieved
• Any additional local indicators participants would wish to see.

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