The Prime Minister met with the leaders of England’s Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) on 19 June to celebrate their achievements to date and to map out key areas for cooperation under the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
The first meeting of the Prime Minister’s Council of LEP Chairs was made up of business leaders representing the 38 Partnerships. Talks focused on where LEPs carry maximum impact: delivering the objectives of the Modern Industrial Strategy in local areas, and investing in the skills people and businesses need.
Welcoming the Council of LEP Chairs, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “Local Enterprise Partnerships play a vital role in supporting businesses and innovation across England. From the New Anglia aviation academy – the first of its kind in the UK – to Enterprise M3’s 5G innovation centre, LEPs are developing skills, delivering infrastructure, and securing investment.
“That’s why our Modern Industrial Strategy is clear that they must continue to play a crucial role in our plans to deliver further growth in local economies.
“Today’s first meeting of the Council marks a milestone in this partnership. By working even more closely together, we will continue to maximise our efforts in creating jobs, growth and investment right across the country, delivering long-term, meaningful results for local communities.”
Co-chair of the first meeting and LEP Chair for Greater Manchester, Mike Blackburn OBE, said: “Today was a golden opportunity for business leaders to sit down with the Prime Minister and identify the key action areas LEPs can help government with, and highlight current achievements.
“The government’s commitment to ‘place’ based development and growth plays to the core strengths of all LEPs, and our local strategies will exploit those strengths of locality and geography.
“This is part of an ongoing dialogue between LEPs and government as we help build an ambitious programme for long-term economic growth. Our strong partnerships of private and public sector leaders and track record of delivery, mean we have an exciting opportunity to help the government build an economy that works for everyone, no matter where they live.”
At the meeting, LEPs reinforced their commitment to help deliver a national Industrial Strategy, using their strengths and expertise to lead local strategies for economic growth and partner more effectively with local government.
Mark Stansfeld, Chair of Worcestershire LEP, said: “It was a pleasure to be able to meet with the Prime Minister to discuss our opportunities for collaboration in the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
“We are continuing to deliver revolutionary projects that impact the fundamental themes of the Industrial Strategy, whether it’s cultivating world leading sectors and investing in innovation through the development of a 5G testbed, or upgrading infrastructure and supporting business growth through transport projects such as Parkway Station.”
“As a county that is becoming increasingly more skilled and productive, Worcestershire is well placed to be one of the driving forces in helping the UK Government to deliver its Modern Industrial Strategy, and to continue to attract investment from around the globe.”
From fostering partnerships between businesses and institutions to enable vital research, to spearheading cutting-edge initiatives at the local level in clean growth and supporting major areas of expansion such as the medical technologies sector, LEPs are playing a crucial role in the delivery of the modern Industrial Strategy, ensuring that the UK remains at the forefront of innovation.
The Council of Local Enterprise Partnership Chairs was announced in the 2017 Industrial Strategy White Paper as a new forum for LEP business leaders to help shape national policy decisions and ensure closer cooperation with the Government on Industrial Strategy objectives.
Pictured: Chairs of Local Enterprise Partnerships from across England gathered for the first Council of LEP Leaders meeting with the Prime Minister