In
England, local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) are voluntary partnerships between
local authorities and businesses, set up in 2011 by the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to help determine local economic priorities and lead economic growth and job creation within the local area.[1] They carry out some of the functions previously carried out by the
regional development agencies which were abolished in March 2012. In certain areas, funding is received from the UK government via
growth deals.
After the March 2017 merger of Northamptonshire LEP into
South East Midlands LEP, there were 38 local enterprise partnerships in operation.
The government plans to withdraw support for the partnerships in 2024.[2]
History
The abolition of
regional development agencies and the creation of local enterprise partnerships were announced as part of the
June 2010 United Kingdom budget.[3] On 29 June 2010 a letter was sent from the
Department for Communities and Local Government and the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to local authority and business leaders, inviting proposals to replace regional development agencies in their areas by 6 September 2010.[4] On 7 September 2010, details were released of 56 proposals for local enterprise partnerships that had been received.[5] On 6 October 2010, during the Conservative Party Conference, it was revealed that 22 had been given the provisional 'green light' to proceed and others might later be accepted with amendments.[6] 24 bids were announced as successful on 28 October 2010.[7][8]
LEPs were set up on a voluntary basis without any public funding and struggled to make progress. A report by
Michael Heseltine in October 2012, No Stone Unturned, was largely accepted by Government, and proposed delegating certain funds from central government to LEPs. Changes included:
allocating a share of a £1,400m Local Growth Fund to generate growth, through competitive bidding;
getting LEPs to draw up plans for local growth as the basis for negotiation on the money in the Fund
realigning the management of the EU Structural and Investment Funds in England to follow the plans made by LEPs.
Local
growth deals, for projects that benefit the local area and economy, began to be made to some LEPs in 2014.[10]
List of LEPs
Local enterprise partnership areas are allowed to overlap, so a local authority is permitted to be part of more than one local enterprise partnership.[note 1][11] Currently there are 38 local enterprise partnerships in operation:
^The local authority areas taking part in two LEPs are Aylesbury Vale, Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Bolsover, Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, Cherwell, Chesterfield, Croydon, Derbyshire Dales, East Hampshire, East Staffordshire, Forest Heath, Harrogate, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Lewes, Lichfield, New Forest, North East Derbyshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Hertfordshire, North Lincolnshire, Redditch, St Edmundsbury, Tamworth, Test Valley, Uttlesford, Winchester, Wyre Forest and York.