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Local Enterprise PartnershipsThe story so far…

Paul Hanna

Birmingham Chamber Group

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Our LEP Area

• Background to LEPs

• The Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP

• Progress

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LEPs

• Abolition of Regional Development Agencies.• Localism agenda.• Economic growth and prosperity driven, fostered

by local communities.• Local Enterprise Partnerships – public, private

and voluntary sector partnership.• Government in June invited bids:

– Based around ‘functioning economic geographies’.– Emphasis upon collaboration.– Scope for growth and development in jobs and

wealth.

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LEPs (2)

• September deadline for submissions – 62 put forward.• 24 subsequently approved including a Birmingham LEP,

a LEP covering Stoke & Staffordshire and Coventry and Warwickshire.

• More recently LEP status agreed for the Black Country and Worcestershire.

• White Paper – ‘Local Growth: realising every place’s potential’ published October 2010 – role of LEPs.– Provide clear vision.– Strategic leadership.– Sustainable private sector led growth.– Framework for coordinated decision making across essential

work areas e.g. transport, housing, planning etc.

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Purpose of LEPs?

• Working with Government to set out key investment priorities, including transport infrastructure and supporting or coordinating project delivery;

• Coordinating proposals or bidding directly for the Regional Growth Fund;

• Supporting high growth businesses, for example through involvement in bringing together and supporting consortia to run new growth hubs.

• Making representation on the development of national planning policy and ensuring business is involved in the development and consideration of strategic planning applications

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Purpose of LEPs (2)

• Lead changes in how businesses are regulated locally;• Strategic housing delivery, including pooling and aligning

funding streams to support this;• Working with local employers, Jobcentre Plus & learning

providers to help local workless people into jobs;• Coordinating approaches to leveraging funding from the

private sector;• Exploring opportunities for developing financial and non-

financial incentives on renewable energy projects and Green Deal; and

• Becoming involved in delivery of other national priorities such as digital infrastructure.

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Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP

• Recognition early stage:– Functioning economic geographies.– How business and the local economy works.

• Already strong and positive collaborative working between public and private sectors.

• Opportunity to look across traditional (administrative) boundaries and forge new relationships.

• Birmingham Chamber of Commerce led on the LEP preparation and its submission.

• Birmingham, Solihull, Lichfield, Tamworth, East Staffordshire (plus Bromsgrove and Wyre Forest – the latter to be confirmed).

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Key Statistics

Population: 1.7m - 1.9m

Economic Output: £34.5bn GVA

• 38% of all goods and services produced in the West Midlands region

• £18,500 per head – close to UK average of £19,300

• £36,300 per worker – UK average £37,000

Total Jobs in LEP area: 950,000

• Considerable employment in (OECD) Knowledge Intensive Industries – 180,000 jobs

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Vision

Our vision is to create and support a globally competitive knowledge economy, the natural home for Europe’s entrepreneurs and wealth creators. Reflecting our tradition for attracting innovators, risk takers, entrepreneurs and mavericks, within 10 years the economic area will be renowned for being the easiest place in Europe in which to set up and run a business.

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Key Aims

• Increase economic output – up 30% by 2020.

• Create 100,000 private sector jobs by 2020.

• Stimulate indigenous growth.• Achieve global leadership in key sectors

e.g. ICT, creative industries, automotive assembly, low carbon R&D, transport and building technologies.

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The Opportunities

• No significant output gap

• Over 30 national / international economic drivers

• 7 Universities (whole or part)

• Major projects under construction or in the pipeline

• The benefits of being the first LEP to be connected to High Speed 2

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Progress

• Established a ‘shadow’ Development Board – overseeing the LEP.

• Led by Bridget Blow.• 6 Private Sector reps, 7 public sector and 1

university rep.• Begun work on an Economic Strategy.• Identifying priorities.• Considering Inter-LEP issues e.g. Transport,

tourism, inward investment.• Regional Growth Fund – round 1 and

subsequent rounds 2 and 3.

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Governance

• A formal, legal entity chaired by a dynamic business leader

• The primary decision-making body for the area for economic development

• LEP Board will comprise of 8 business people, 7 local authorities, 1 University and education representative and an independent business chair

• Recruitment for non-executive business board members well under way.

• 80 applications for 8 places!

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THANK YOUwww.birmingham-chamber.com

Click “Business Support” for pages on the LEP