Business minister meets with Midlands local enterprise partnerships
The minister met both the Leicester and Leicestershire local enterprise partnership and the Coventry and Warwickshire partnership, where he …
The minister met both the Leicester and Leicestershire local enterprise partnership and the Coventry and Warwickshire partnership, where he discussed their progress in appointing boards and the priorities they hope to address.
The minister also met with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to discuss boosting entrepreneurship and how the government can provide a SME friendly business environment.
Mark Prisk said:
“The local enterprise partnerships I have met today have demonstrated some excellent ideas on how they intend to address local economical imbalances, stimulate local businesses and boost local growth.
“I’ve also had very useful discussions with local businesses about the barriers they are facing which are preventing them from flourishing and what Government is doing to improve market conditions.”
Local enterprise partnerships bring together local businesses and civic leaders, working to support their local economy. They operate within a geography that reflects natural economic areas and provide the vision, knowledge and strategic leadership needed to drive sustainable private sector growth and job creation in their area.
While Mr Prisk was in Coventry he visited Warwick University, where he had a meeting with SMEs and Vice-President Antonio Tajani of the European Commission responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship.
After his meeting with the Leicester and Leicestershire partnership the minister will attend the Leicester Asian Business Awards and silver anniversary dinner, held at Athena Leicester.
Mark Prisk said:
“I am proud to celebrate the success of Asian entrepreneurs and small business owners. They serve as a real inspiration to people from all backgrounds who dream of starting their own company. Events like this demonstrate the sheer range and depth of entrepreneurial talent that exists here in the East Midlands - and within the wider Asian community
“This Government is on the side of the business owner, whether that’s a small firm just getting off the ground, or a large established company. That is why we are setting enterprise free - with lower and simpler business taxes, so entrepreneurs are able to enjoy the rewards of their hard work, generate new jobs and contribute to thriving communities across Britain. And we are cutting through the unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy that weighs so heavily on companies, especially small firms.”
Notes to editors:
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The Leicester and Leicestershire local enterprise partnership covers around 35,550 businesses.
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The Coventry and Warwickshire local enterprise partnership covers around 33,665 businesses.
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In September 2010 the Government received 62 responses to its invitation to form local enterprise partnerships. The 31 partnerships approved since October are:
Black Country
Birmingham & Solihull with E. Staffordshire, Lichfield & Tamworth
Cheshire and Warrington
Coast to Capital
Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly
Coventry & Warwickshire
Cumbria
Enterprise M3
Gt. Cambridge & Gt. Peterborough
Greater Manchester
Hertfordshire
Kent, Greater Essex & East Sussex
Leeds City Region
Leicester & Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Liverpool City Region
London
New Anglia
North Eastern
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby, & Derbyshire
Oxfordshire City Region
Sheffield City Region
Solent
South East Midlands
Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire
Tees Valley
Thames Valley Berkshire
The Marches
West of England
Worcestershire
York and North Yorkshire
- Taken together, these 31 partnerships represent:
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1.8m or 87% of all businesses (active enterprises) in England
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20m employees (employee jobs figures) or 68% of all employees in England and;
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A population of 45m or 87% of England’s population.
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A map of approved local enterprise partnerships is available from http://geocommons.com/maps/32888
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Proposals for partnerships were assessed in line with the expectations set out in the 29 June 2010 letter from the Business Secretary and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/regional/docs/10-1026-final-letter-local-enterprise-partnerships
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Specifically, the Local Growth White Paper proposes that local enterprise partnerships will be able to consider a diverse range of roles, reflecting the differing local priorities in different areas, including:
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working with Government to set out key investment priorities, including transport infrastructure;
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coordinating proposals or bidding directly for the Regional Growth Fund;
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supporting high growth businesses, for example through involvement in bids to run the new growth hubs;
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participation in the development of national planning policy and ensuring business is involved in the consideration of strategic planning applications;
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lead changes in how businesses are regulated locally;
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strategic housing delivery, including pooling and aligning funding streams;
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working with local employers, Jobcentre Plus and learning providers to help local workless people into jobs;
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coordinating approaches to leverage funding from the private sector;
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exploring opportunities for developing incentives on renewable energy projects and Green Deal;
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involvement in the delivery of other national priorities such as digital infrastructure
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Revised proposals from partnerships which have not yet been approved will be welcomed by Government as they become ready_. _
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Notes to Editors
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