BUSINESS leaders and Selby residents have pledged to increase visitor numbers and help business in the town.

At a meeting of the York North Yorkshire and East Riding LEP last week, more than 20 local businessmen and women, councillors and members of the Selby Chamber, gathered to discuss how they could work together to improve the town.

James Dunwell, representing the Selby Chamber, said support was high for the initiative, which would build on the work of the Town Team, who put forward a bid for the Portas Pilot shopping scheme last year.

Mr Dunwell said: “We have got to overcome the apathy and the cynicism of ‘we’ve heard it all before’, so we need to demonstrate that what we’re proposing can be done by just doing it.

“The group will include representatives from the Chamber, the district and town councils, Selby AVS and Selby College, plus additional business owners from the town because it’s about improving business in the town first.

“The upshot is this is to be a business-led and business-driven project, so while the new body needs and has to have links with all other stakeholders in the town, it’s going to be very much driven by business in Selby for the town’s economic growth.”

The group already has a £10,000 grant from the Portas scheme, the district council has allocated funds for the district, and there is potentially more long-term funding available from the LEP, who have offered to match funding from local businesses.

Mr Dunwell said efforts would be made to improve Selby’s online presence and create visitor leaflets for Tourist Information centres in nearby towns and cities, as “easy wins”, to help promote the town and get momentum going on the upcoming changes.

He said: “We need to brand the town, give it an identity and then go and sell it. That will be online literature and various bits and pieces.

“Very early on there will be some re-signing for the town in terms of car parking, history and heritage, and building a web presence for the town for businesses and community groups to promote themselves which we can do pretty quickly. It’s early days but the strategy is starting to come together.

“We want some quick win projects over the next six months, but some longer-term ones as well.”