East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s latest impact review for 2025-26 details a suite of business and tourism activities that the council says have delivered measurable commercial returns for the area. The combined activity of Invest East Yorkshire and Visit East Yorkshire supported over 1,100 businesses, helped secure roughly £52 million of contracts and produced a range of local jobs and new ventures.
Business centres and grants drive local growth
The council highlighted performance from its network of nine business centres — spanning Bridlington to Goole — which collectively recorded a 94% occupancy rate. Those centres supply a portfolio of 223 offices and workshops and provided intensive support to 214 enterprises during the year.
Direct financial support came through grant-making: 91 local firms received awards that enabled business projects totalling around £1.59m. The report attributes a number of growth stories to that targeted funding, including businesses that converted small operations into employers or used grant-backed expansion to access new markets and awards.
Jobs, new firms and contract wins
The report records the creation of 65 new jobs, with almost half of those roles filled by people aged between 16 and 29. Meanwhile, 47 new businesses started in the period — more than double the council’s internal target — and 46 new occupiers moved into the business centres.
Crucially for supply-chain development, several grant interventions unlocked substantial contracts for local firms; one cited example shows a grant helping a Goole flooring business secure around £2.6m of new work. Across the programme, Invest East Yorkshire facilitated approximately £52m of contract wins for local companies.
Tourism-led returns and events
On the visitor side, Visit East Yorkshire supported or delivered more than 40 events across the area. The report highlights the Beverley Festival of Christmas, which attracted about 56,000 visitors, and the Race the Waves event on Bridlington beach, which it says generated roughly £1.4m for the local economy.
According to the review, event activity produced strong leverage: the programme delivered an estimated £58 of economic return for every £1 invested, resulting in about £8.5m injected into the visitor economy. The tourism initiative also enrolled 91 businesses as tourism partners.
“We’re proud to play our role in encouraging investment and tourism, supporting local businesses and encouraging investment into the East Riding. It’s great to see the business support team exceed their targets and help support thriving communities in our region,”
The council quoted Councillor Anne Handley, East Riding of Yorkshire Council Leader, reflecting on the figures and the council’s role in promoting the area at national and international industry shows.
Promotion and outward engagement
As part of its outward-looking strategy, the council’s economic development team promoted the area's investment case at high-profile property and investment forums. The report notes representation at MIPIM in Cannes and the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds, working in partnership with Hull City Council and the Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
The report mixes quantitative outcomes with case studies demonstrating how small amounts of public support can unlock larger private-sector opportunities — for example, a Bridlington coffee operator growing from a mobile unit into an employer and a Brough bakery whose expansion contributed to a Great Taste gold award.
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Businesses supported | 1,100+ |
| Contracts secured | £52m |
| Business centre occupancy | 94% |
| Grants awarded | 91 (totalling £1.59m) |
| New jobs | 65 |
| New businesses started | 47 |
| Events supported/delivered | 40+ |
| Visitor-economy return | £8.5m (≈ £58 per £1 invested) |
For regional policymakers and investors, the figures offer evidence that a mix of place-based infrastructure, grant support and event-driven tourism can generate measurable economic benefits. The council’s combination of inward promotion at major industry events and local-level grant and workspace provision appears to have produced both short-term visitor-economy returns and longer-term opportunities for business scale-up.
The full impact report is available through the council’s business and investment web pages for stakeholders seeking a detailed breakdown of activity by sector and locality.
