Worcestershire LEP submission
Worcestershire could soon be a Local
Enterprise Partnership in its own right, after the final proposal
was submitted to Government last week.
Following the Government's announcement that
regional development agencies – such as Advantage West Midlands –
will no longer be supported, local areas were challenged to come up
with proposals to form a relevant Local Enterprise Partnership
(LEP) to deliver economic improvements.
Many local government areas opted to explore
partnerships with neighbouring authorities, but Worcestershire's
unique characteristic of being partly urban and partly rural
prompted our economic leaders and businesses to bid for the county
to be recognised as a standalone LEP.
All seven councils are backing the bid, which
would see the Worcestershire LEP being led by local businesses,
including a Chair selected from the business community rather than
from local government.
Many of the county's best-known businesses
played a part in preparing the proposals, such as Worcester Bosch,
Southco, Mazak, QinetiQ, Brintons, npower, Morgan Cars, Sealine,
Koito Europe Ltd, Vax and Malvern Water.
"Bidding for Worcestershire to become a Local
Enterprise Partnership emerged as the only realistic option very
quickly," explained Diane Tilley, Worcestershire County Council's
Director of Planning, Economy & Performance. "Worcestershire
needs to retain the flexibility to work in partnership with other
LEPs as our needs dictate, whether those needs are supporting rural
businesses or investing in high-technology enterprises. If the
county had chosen to form a partnership with any of its neighbours,
it would have been committed to a strategy that wouldn't have
recognised the extent of this diversity. This approach, if
approved, would allow Worcestershire to operate in partnership with
neighbouring LEPs while also responding to its own unique needs and
opportunities with the appropriate expertise and
understanding."
The submission also includes proposals for the
Worcestershire LEP to acquire Advantage West Midlands' remaining
assets in the county, to seek control over Highways Agency
expenditure on trunk roads (to contribute to the goal of providing
a strong infrastructure for business) and to develop detailed
structure, governance and accountability models during the coming
months.
"Despite the short timescales that were
allowed for returning a submission, we managed to consult with all
of the key parties and tailor the proposals according to their
feedback," Diane continued. "That means that we can have confidence
in the plans' potential to be fulfilled. It also means that there
is a lot more work to be done to make the proposals a reality,
which all depends on whether Government approves the submission.
We're urging the Government to respond as quickly as possible."
The full 'Worcestershire Works' Local Enterprise Partnership
Proposals (September 2010) document is available online.
