The percentage of woman launching new businesses in Sutton each year is increasing sharply. Newly released figures show that in July-September 2013, 31.6% of all company director appointments were female – a new record for Sutton. This compares to a UK average of 26.2%, and represents a rise of 8.8% over the preceding two years. Over the same two years, the UK average essentially remained static when it changed from 26.3% to 26.2%.

This is welcome trend given the council’s Opportunity Sutton programme which aims to create a more enterprising borough and increase inward investment.

Opportunity Sutton is the borough’s ambitious programme to deliver sustainable economic growth in Sutton. It offers a range of measures to support new and existing local businesses, including advice and guidance, and networking opportunities.

Opportunity Sutton has attracted over £322m of investment into the borough over the last year, and the latest figures show that during July-September 2013 a total of 216 new companies were registered in Sutton.

Councillor Jayne McCoy, Chair of the Housing, Economy and Business Committee, said:

“It is great to see that the percentage of women registering new companies in Sutton is rising each year.

“We want to ensure that all our residents benefit from the increasing numbers of business opportunities in Sutton so we’re doing all we can to ensure that everyone is able to access the support offered by our Opportunity Sutton programme.

“Sutton is a great place to launch a business, and the support and guidance that we’re providing will help ensure that new company directors succeed.”

Residents can find out more about Opportunity Sutton and the support available to help them set up and run a business by visiting http://www.opportunitysutton.org/.