Funding

 Set up by Government in 2011  39 across the Country  Public Sector and Business Partnership, but…  Locally focused  Growth and Jobs  Like old RDA’s but without the money + resources!

 ‘Local Enterprise Partnerships provide the vision, knowledge and strategic leadership needed to drive sustainable private sector growth and job creation in their area’.

 work with Government to set out key investment priorities, including transport infrastructure;  co-ordinate Regional Growth Fund;  support high growth businesses;  support on the development of national planning policy;  lead changes in how businesses are regulated locally;  strategic housing delivery, including pooling/aligning funding;  help local workless people into jobs;  co-ordinate approaches to lever private sector funding;  explore opportunities for developing incentives on renewable energy projects and Green Deal; and  Support delivery of other national priorities such as digital infrastructure

 Regional Growth Fund (£2.5bn) – LEP supported ◦ Growth and Jobs Programme: £4m ◦ Rounds 1-3: £24m (10 company projects) ◦ Round 4: 6 further bids (awaiting outcome)  Growing Places Fund (£730m) ◦ Focus on infrastructure ◦ Recyclable Fund ◦ 84% (£567m) allocated

 What are they? ◦ Gvmt. tasked LEP’s to identify key blockages to growth ◦ LEP to draft plan to address ◦ Negotiation with Government to deliver ◦ No new money ◦ LEP has to deliver!  First Wave City Deals in place  2 nd Wave now in process

 Heseltine ‘No Stone Unturned’  Decentralisation the key to growth  £50bn - £10bn CSR  Competitive process  LEP Strategic Growth Plan  Other resources and levers

 Preliminary LEP guidance issued 15 April  EU funding (£5.3bn): European Regional Development Funds (ERDF); European Social Fund (ESF) and Rural Development  €161.6m (approx £140m) for 2014–20  Priorities innovation and R+D; SME support, low carbon economy, skills, employment, social inclusion  DCLG, DEFRA and DWP will contract projects