Ministers have formally announced the first wave of successful partnerships today as part of a new plan for local economic growth . They also declared the £1.4bn Regional Growth Fund “open for business”.
The aim of the fund will be to support the creation of private sector jobs and will particularly support communities currently dependent on the public sector.
Business secretary Vince Cable was quoted as saying: “I was delighted that so many of the proposals for local enterprise partnerships showed real imagination and initiative and a genuine desire to drive local economic growth. I am pleased to announce that we are asking 24 of these partnerships to set up their boards and get to work.
“The knowledge and expertise of the private sector, local authorities and their local communities will be crucial as we work to create a better environment for business and ensure that everyone has access to the opportunities that growth brings.”
The 24 success stories which are through to “the next round” are:
- Birmingham & Solihull with E Staffordshire, Lichfield & Tamworth
- Cheshire and Warrington
- Coast to Capital
- Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly
- Coventry & Warwickshire
- Cumbria
- Gt Cambridge & Gt Peterborough
- Greater Manchester
- Hertfordshire
- Kent, Greater Essex & East Sussex
- Leeds City Region
- Leicester & Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Liverpool City Region
- Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby, & Derbyshire
- Oxfordshire City Region
- Sheffield City Region
- Solent
- SE Midlands
- Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire
- Tees Valley
- Thames Valley Berkshire
- The Marches
- West of England
Unfortunately the big losers were Lancashire & Hull who haven’t been successful and aren’t into the next stage.
