Better Approvals to help prospective business owners

Published on 09 October 2019

Horsham Rural City Council staff can now reduce the regulatory burden of opening or expanding a business in the Wimmera.

Throughout 2019, Horsham Rural City Council has worked with Small Business Victoria to implement the Better Approvals Project.

It includes a suite of reforms to improve the customer experience including a new permit support team which will act as a single point of contact for people looking to start or expand their small business. This will include a concurrent process involving all aspects of starting and growing a business.

Increasing the information available online, through Council’s website, and streamlining online application processes has been another key focus of the project.

Previously prospective business operators had to work separately with multiple departments of Council such as planning, building, environmental health and more.

Since February Council’s regulatory services staff have been involved in training sessions with Small Business Victoria.

They have also met with a range of local business in order to map out the current process and where improvements are most needed.

Director Development Services Angela Murphy said Better Approvals aimed to cut down the time involved in dealing with Council and reduce the stress that came with applying for business permits.

“Anything we can do to make the process of starting a small business easier, is obviously a good thing for our municipality,” Ms Murphy said.

“The changes in the process have been borne out of feedback we received from our community, and we encourage those who are even just thinking about starting a business, to come and see how we can help.”