Local Enterprise Partnerships Senior Sponsorship Programme

The Senior Sponsor programme What is the role of a Senior Sponsor? The LEP Senior Sponsor programme has been designed to support the wider objectives of the Industrial Strategy. In particular, Senior Sponsors are expected to: Engage and support the senior leadership of LEPs (especially the Chair), to build their capability to engage Whitehall departments and No 10. To challenge LEPs as they refresh their local strategies, ensuring proper fit with wider policy objectives and a robust evidence base. Support efforts to improve wider Whitehall governance and policy around ‘Places’, including providing LEP-level intelligence to the Cities and Local Growth Unit and helping identify and address cross-LEP issues and opportunities. To achieve this, we expect Senior Sponsors to engage with their LEP at least quarterly, including at least two face-to-face meetings with the LEP (in London or visiting the LEP).

The Senior Sponsor programme How does this relate to existing or previous programmes? The Senior Sponsor programme has been designed to address issues identified with the previous LEP Sponsor programme: The need for consistent, on-going policy and administrative support for Sponsors and LEPs by a central secretariat; The need to integrate the Sponsorship programme into a wider Whitehall decision- making process; and The need for effective incentives to ensure Senior Sponsors have a consistent level of commitment to their LEP. Recognising these lessons, we commit to provide a secretariat function in the Cities and Local Growth Unit; we have designed the sponsor programme to fit into wider Industrial Strategy governance and the PM Council; and we are working with the Cabinet Office to build the Sponsor role in Civil Service performance management. LEP Senior Sponsors are all senior Whitehall officials, acting at Director level or above from across thirteen departments. The Senior Sponsor programme does not replace the Ministerial Sponsor programme; we would expect LEPs to engage their Senior Sponsor alongside their Ministerial Sponsor, but we recognise that the latter faces additional constraints on their time.

Our support for you The Cities and Local Growth Unit will… Provide LEP-level briefing to the Senior Sponsor – this will be designed with your Area Lead. Liaise with the Senior Sponsor’s office to arrange initial visits, facilitated by your Area Lead. Organise a meeting chaired by Simon Ridley (DG Decentralisation and Local Growth, MHCLG) ahead of the inaugural PM Council, to identify lessons from the first set of Senior Sponsor meetings. Provide an on-going secretariat function, to capture and act on identified actions locally and nationally.

First set of LEP-Sponsor meetings Next Steps w/c 30rd Apr Initial briefing material shared with Sponsors w/c 7th May CLoG Area Leads to arrange initial meeting 11 June Senior Sponsor meeting, chaired by Simon Ridley 18 June (tbc) Inaugural PM Council of LEP Chairs Pre-recess LEP Review publication expected Q2 Lessons learnt and on-going support Apr 2018 May 2018 June 2018 Q2 2018/19 July 2018 First set of LEP-Sponsor meetings Second set of meetings