For reasons of cost and flexibility most use co-working offices to start and run their businesses.
In the south of the Royal Borough, there are just two such co-working spaces offering basic facilities at budget rents of around £300 a month.
One, the Chelsea based Refinery, has closed leaving more than thirty tenants 'officeless'; the other 21 Ellis St is now considering its options as it faces a massive Business Rates bill and other overheads.
The loss of these spaces will be a massive blow to the Borough's entrepreneurs.
Without a business base, many startups will leave the Borough.
Does that matter?
Yes, is the answer and here's an example of their importance.
Leconfield, now one of the Borough's major employers started life at 21 Ellis Street with just three employees....today, it employs over one hundred and thirty and through its downstream activities provides hundreds of jobs.
The Government shortsightedly gave a Business Rates holiday to retail, leisure and hospitality but ignored co-working spaces so essential to the vibrant economic life of the community.
https://saveourlocalcoworking.co.uk
I started my business in one of the centres and they are essential to the life of the community
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteA company called the Workary has thrown a few old chairs into a bit of space in the Council's libraries and calls itself a workspace when it's not. The grossly unfair part is the Council is helping to undercut proper facilities by allowing Workary to pay minimal rent and NO BUSINESS RATES yet forcing proper co-working facilities to pay massive business rates.
ReplyDeleteThe Refinery was a good space. Sorry to hear it's been forced to close. It will be a tragedy for the Borough's start up's if 21 Ellis St is forced to close too.
ReplyDeleteIs it true the Workary has been given a 'sweet deal'?
ReplyDeleteI think they are essential not just to the existing life of the community but to its future. These are the places where the start ups that will drag us out of the economic quagmire we're in will be based. My company actually uses 21 Ellis Street, has ambitions to grow and employ locally, but we need this space. Really hope the government or the Council will do the right thing.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Council were supposed to be supporting small businesses not squeezing them out. Maybe they are trying to knock out competitors to the Workary who they are all over like a cheap suit
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Isn’t the grants from K&C supporting this. They seem to think unless you’re a retailer on the high street no one else matters. I thought they eliminated business rates for small business? I guess if your the umbrella for the small businesses they don’t consider that the same thing? Which is ridiculous!
ReplyDelete'I was a tenant at 21 Ellis Street for over a year and having looked at the options of other co-working office suites in RBKC this was far and away the best for location, amenities, transport facilities and above all ambience. It would be a great loss to both start up companies and those more established who are simply looking for attractive co-working space if 21 Ellis Street had to close. Wake up RBKC!'
ReplyDelete