CONTINUED commitment to protecting, supporting and providing economic prosperity across Denbighshire has been recognised.

Denbighshire County Council is committed to working towards building resilient communities and supporting thriving economies to provide a good quality of life for residents.

The Council’s ongoing work in providing help to all business areas to increase resilience in the local economy and support communities has been recognised despite the difficulties of the Pandemic.

Research released recently from Savings Online platform Raisin UK revealed that Denbighshire ranked number one for Welsh economies when it comes to business and is expected to bounce back quickly after the pandemic.

Raisin examined which local economy is best suited to cope with Covid-related challenges, based on the number of large businesses, business survival, birth and death rate, rate of people in work, the amount of the population receiving income support and the average government spend per population head.

Throughout the pandemic the Council has been responsible for helping county businesses get financial support through Welsh Government funding made available.

Over 10,000 grant applications made from businesses across Denbighshire has equated to over £52.million being made available to support the local business community.

Denbighshire County Council’s Employee Training Grant supports employed residents from Denbighshire earning below the county median wage.

Funding of between £250 and £2,000 per person can be awarded for training, development or accessing mentoring to allow them to progress within their current workplace or with a new employer.

So far those who have received the grant have seen their wages increase on average by 24 per cent per annum.

To support businesses in the run up to Christmas 2020, the council launched #LoveLiveLocal campaign to encourage residents to support the many businesses in their towns enduring a difficult year. The Light Up Denbighshire project was also launched to help boost the number of people visiting town centres and to enhance the work already carried out by Denbighshire County Council to make commercial centres safe places to shop and enjoy hospitality.

Real estate consultancy Harper Dennis Hobbs recently listed Prestatyn and Ruthin as the top two best welsh high streets in their vitality index.

The Real Estate consultancy publishes its “vitality index” every two years - looking at various factors to determine the health of High Streets which include vacancy rates, is it suitable for local consumer demand and also changes in the movement of residents.

According to several factors, the HDH Vitality Ranking determines the health of high streets and shopping centres, including the change in residents’ movement, vacancy rates, and suitability to local consumers’ demands.

Katie Walsh - Katie Walsh Hair said "Katie Walsh Hair as newcomers are absolutely thrilled to be part of Prestatyn High street. I truly feel that the community between business’ is personally the reason why we top the list in Wales’ best high streets."

Cllr Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of Denbighshire County Council, said: “We are committed to working with and ensuring that all the Denbighshire business community is receiving the vital support they need to protect and grow jobs and the economy in the county.

“Despite the pressures of the pandemic we are pleased to see that the resilience of Denbighshire businesses has been recognised alongside the strong business community spirit of our towns.”

“It has been a difficult time for all and it is a testament to all businesses that their commitment has highlighted Denbighshire as a County that has a thriving economy that is recovering better than any other county in Wales.

“We will continue to build on this by drawing new business and larger footfall into town centres to benefit whole Denbighshire economy. By doing this we also want to make sure all young people across the county achieve their employment potential and maybe one day also take their first steps as a business owner in Denbighshire.