TheVoice of Worcestershire Businesses Externally Focused and Cross BorderWorking
Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership will use the various
business networks and communications media to gather and be
the business voice of Worcestershire. The engagement of the
private sector, which encompasses FTSE 100 to Sole Trader and
large corporate to social enterprise businesses in the development
of the LEP is crucial to its success. As a partnership we are then
able to identify barriers to growth, influence decision making
and thereby unlock growth and jobs. It is important that the
LEP, through the business community, Board and Business Board
members, takes a strong lead as advocate and ambassador
for Worcestershire’s economic prosperity, working in close
partnership with the public sector.
The LEP recognises that it must maintain excellent relations with the
business membership organisations who represent their member
businesses. However the LEP needs to widen and deepen business
engagement to ensure that Worcestershire is maximising its potential.
The LEP will survey and call for evidence from the private sector to help
shape and develop public sector policy. The LEP will co-ordinate and
respond to central and local government consultation to ensure that
Worcestershire’s business voice gets heard and can balance opinion
from other sources.
The LEP Board is connected to Government Ministers and sponsoring
Government Departments (Business Innovation and Skills, Communities
and Local Government) as well as wider government interests. These
relationships are vital in terms of enabling Worcestershire to advocate its
positive assets and opportunities, to improve its impacts, and to influence
Government policy to create better conditions for local progress.
The LEP is connected to a wide array of Government Agencies from
DEFRA, Highways Agency and Environment Agency to HM Revenues
and Customs and the Better Regulation Delivery Office. These relationships
bring additional national knowledge and intelligence from a wider pool of
expertise to assist the LEP’s initiatives in removing barriers to growth and
other obstacles.
Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, in its submission to
Government, outlined the need for the partnership to be externally
focused and working across borders with neighbouring LEP’s to
share joint agendas and to develop benefits for the Worcestershire
economy by working in an environment where business does not
recognise government boundaries. Therefore as an independent
partnership it will focus exclusively on the economic agenda and
further Worcestershire’s economic ambitions. It will cultivate
relationships and productive collaborations with diverse
organisations both within and outside the County.
Worcestershire LEP is a member of the National LEP Network
comprising all 39 LEPs in England. Belonging to this network
ensures that Worcestershire is constantly aware of good
practice, new challenges and solutions within the external
landscape, and it enables the LEP to scan ahead to
consolidate its local ideas and solutions. It also provides
information on successful initiatives from other LEPs
which can be applied to our local scene.
The LEP has also established collaboration with the Midlands
LEPs through quarterly meetings amongst Chairs and Executive
Directors. The Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP is the
neighbouring LEP which is of most significance to
Worcestershire given that the districts of Wyre Forest,
Bromsgrove and Redditch have joined both LEPs.
Good joint informal working relationships have
been established between both LEPs.
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