Newcastle launches City Insights tool to back business growth

newy.com.au – City of Newcastle has launched a free interactive data tool aimed at helping small-to-medium businesses make decisions about starting, growing or relocating in the Newcastle local government area.

Called City Insights, the online resource brings together government-sourced data on Newcastle’s $22 billion economy, more than 12,200 businesses, key industry sectors and regional tourism. The tool also allows users to drill down into suburb-level information including population figures, business mix, spending trends and active development applications.

Chair of City of Newcastle’s Strategy and Innovation Strategic Advisory Committee Cr Declan Clausen said the resource was designed to help businesses make informed decisions.

“We want Newcastle to have an ecosystem that supports local businesses and entrepreneurs,” Cr Clausen said.

“The Strategy and Innovation Strategic Advisory Committee provided input into the development of this resource, with the objective to help people make smarter, faster decisions by showing what’s happening at a local level, from development activity and business mix to spending trends.

“The interactive data tool is built to support the kinds of decisions that matter to businesses, planners, investors and community organisations, all backed by real, government-sourced data.

“City Insights supplies that data in a centralised location, covering the entire city or offering individualised results to target specific suburbs, with details such as population figures and active development applications.

“We’re excited to be the first Council in Australia to offer this kind of service and we know other Councils are already looking to follow our lead.”

City Insights is available through Imagine Newcastle, City of Newcastle’s economic development website, which is aimed at people considering working, studying or relocating to Newcastle.

Strategy and Innovation Strategic Advisory Committee member and Business Hunter CEO Bob Hawes said access to current information was important for businesses at every stage of development.

“The City Insights portal will help businesses make timely decisions about establishing, growing and investing,” Mr Hawes said.

“Whether a business is starting out or well along the path to maturity, markets are dynamic and having access to an interactive and data driven tool like City Insights will make the research and investigation task much easier when considering the Newcastle LGA.”

City of Newcastle will also host a free information session on 17 April in the Council Chambers at 12 Stewart Avenue, Newcastle West, for people interested in learning how to use the new tool.