No. 009.15
27 March 2015
NEWS RELEASE
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE GOES TO WHITEHALL
Alex Pratt, Chair, and Richard Harrington, Chief Executive, of the Buckinghamshire
Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP), were at the heart of the
2015 LEP Network Conference held in Westminster yesterday (March 26th). Both
spoke at the national conference and had the opportunity to discuss first-hand with
Government Ministers, Shadow Ministers and informed Business Leaders on plans
for economic growth in England.
With LEPs poised to begin the delivery of over £12bn of Local Growth Deals (which
in Buckinghamshire has already unlocked £93m worth of investment to develop a
better road and rail infrastructure, support faster broadband and digital infrastructure,
and improve skills delivery) and with Government about to go to the polls, the air
thick with various views from the different sides of the devolution agenda, the event
provided informative and lively debate.
Alex Pratt, as the outgoing Chair of the LEP Network Management Board, set the
conference on its way with a rousing opening address, and subsequently said: “This
year’s conference has been both informative and an opportunity for us to share
knowledge and experience with delegates and guest speakers and to find out more
about some of the key challenges and opportunities facing LEPs. We were
particularly reassured to hear from the guest speakers of the need for further
devolution of resources from Whitehall and support for LEPs to get on and do the job
of delivering growth with minimal interference from Government.”
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Alex added: “We are encouraged by the direction of travel that all the political parties
are taking to support LEPs and, as Greg Clark MP and Lord Adonis highlighted
today, LEPs are the driving force of our economy and the foundation for future
growth.”
As well as hearing first-hand what the two main parties have in store for LEPs post
election, the event was also an opportunity to understand more about how
Buckinghamshire is being invited to play a significant part in the work of Local
Enterprise Partnerships nationally.
Buckinghamshire Thames Valley LEP have secured a total of £150m in national and
European funding since 2012 helping support town centre transformations in High
Wycombe and Aylesbury, and supporting new road and rail infrastructure, improving
connectivity within the county. The funding has also been used to support the
development of facilities at Amersham and Wycombe College and will be used to
develop employment opportunities in some of the county’s high-growth sectors
including film and creative industries, life sciences, space propulsion and advanced
engineering. BTVLEP have also been able to support the establishment of the first
non-city Business Growth Hub in England, a topic which was the focus of Richard
Harrington’s presentation.
Richard said: “The Buckinghamshire Growth Hub is being delivered through our
delivery arm, Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF). Delegates were very interested
to hear how in the last three years BBF had grown to a membership of over 6000,
dwarfing business networks in many parts of the country, had directly supported over
5,000 businesses and distributed grant funding of over £8million. Government
officials were very supportive of the work our Growth Hub is delivering in making it
easier for our local businesses to receive the support they need when they need it.”
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Guest speaker the Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Minister for Universities, Science & Cities,
said: “National growth is the sum of local growth - for Britain to prosper every part of
the country needs to fulfil its potential. The people who live, work and do business in
each place know best what their area needs to do well, that is why the Government
has undertaken the biggest ever transfer of powers and resources away from
Whitehall.
Devolving £12bn through Growth Deals to LEPs is part of our long term plan to give
local economies the flexibilities and resources to maximise their economic growth.
As a result of the Growth Deals, across the country investment had been made to
train young people, create of thousands of new jobs, build thousands of new homes
and start hundreds of infrastructure projects.”
Other key speakers included the Lord Adonis discussing LEPs driving economic
growth; Rt Hon Lord Heseltine on LEP delivery; Luke Johnson, Chairman of private
equity house Risk Capital Partners LLP and former Chairman of Channel 4
Television, on revving the UK enterprise engine; and Sherry Coutu CBE,
Entrepreneur, Investor & Advisor (listed in the Sunday Times top most influential
people 2015) who discussed realising business growth ambition to create jobs and
GVA.
The LEP Network has brought together the views of LEPs, to celebrate what has
been achieved in economic growth, and what LEPs view as important to build on as
the devolution debate continues post General Election, May 2015.
LEPs have achieved, during one of the most difficult economic climates in our
nation’s history, an impressive track record of success, including:
 39 local strategies have been created that look out to 2030, with £12bn allocated
by HMG to support project activity that will stimulate economic growth;
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 £2.9bn allocated across 430 Rounds 1-5 of RGF programmes, which has levered
£16bn of private sector investment, projected to deliver almost 600,000 jobs;
 £730m Growing Places Fund allocated to 323 projects (as of June 2014)
leveraging £2.8bn of extra investment (incl £1.8bn from private
sector) safeguarding 13,000 jobs and creating 640 apprenticeship places;
 £30m of GPF has been repaid for LEPs to use in sustainable revolving funds
 LEPs have established or partnered in 24 Enterprise Zones;
 the establishment and provision of local business support through 39 local Growth
Hubs - by April 2016 every local LEP will have one.
For further information of the event please go to www.lepnetwork.net
Ends
Note to editors
The Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP) is a
business-led ‘partnership of equals’ between local government and the private sector,
building the conditions for sustainable economic growth in the County.
The LEP Network is the collective of the Business Chairs of the 39 Local Enterprise
Partnerships who have come together to work proactively with each other and with
Central Government to build a highly effective, locally-led approach to delivering
economic growth across England.
www.lepnetwork.net is a gateway to news and information that enables Local
Enterprise Partnerships to come together to discuss issues of shared importance,
engage with Government, and share knowledge and good practice.
For further information:
Ian Barham, Partnership Manager
Buckinghamshire Thames Valley LEP
Tel 0784 3311837 e-mail ian@btvlep.org