Staffordshire LEP will be equal partnership - Stoke leader
The leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council has told Insider that his authority's proposed local enterprise partnership (LEP) with Staffordshire County Council will be “a completely equal partnership between the private and public sector”. Mohammed Pervez said the recently announced collaboration would have “a much greater emphasis” on the private sector than that of the outgoing regional development agency (RDA).
He added that he hoped the LEP board would comprise of six elected councillors and six members of the private sector.
Pervez, along with Philip Atkins, leader of Staffordshire County Council, said the new Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire LEP proposal, which has been submitted to the government, would drive forward the regeneration of the city and county.
Pervez told Insider that the councils and the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce had “explored a number of options”.
He said: “We were mindful of the government’s guidelines when creating the LEP. The key points were the size and scale of the organisation. We think that an area which is home to about 40,000 businesses will be a powerful one.”
He added that the councils were keen to involve local businesses in all aspects of the LEP.
“On the members’ board, we will seat six elected councillors and six people from the private sector – we want a true partnership with this LEP," said Pervez.
LEPs across the West Midlands are in the process of being created before Monday's deadline. The organisations will be set up to replace the outgoing RDA, Advantage West Midlands.
Stoke-on-Trent city council’s regeneration body will be replaced by the LEP once it comes to fruition in 2012.
Pervez said that the council was “committed to finishing ongoing projects” and funding for new projects would come from the Regional Growth Fund.
“We think we will be very well placed to bid for a grant from the fund," said Pervez. “Our focus will be about bringing change to the area – we need to tackle unemployment and regeneration, and getting the private and public sectors working together will help that.
"We need to ensure the funding will keep coming, and we will be applying for funds to make the changes that the region needs.”
