Overarching LEP bid detracts from locality, says Shropshire Council
The head of economic development at Shropshire Council has told Insider that the council “could not see any value” in an overarching Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) bid. Mark Pembleton said that the idea of an encompassing body “goes against the idea of local organisations”. Leaders from the council met last week with their counterparts from Telford and Wrekin and Herefordshire, with whom they submitted a LEP bid to form The Marches partnership.
The Marches submission is one of 57 received by the new coalition government and covers Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.
Discussing the overarching West Midlands bid which was submitted by Business Voice West Midlands with the support of local councils, Pembleton said: “We believe the partnerships should be local, and focus on local businesses. We don’t see any value in an overarching bid – it lumps the West Midlands together again, and doesn’t give each region the focus they need.”
He added that a source had told the council that The Marches’ bid was “one of the strongest”.
The region’s leading figures from business and local government met for the first time last week as The Shadow Marches Local Enterprise Partnership. In its proposal, leaders laid out plans for taking a strategic leadership role, providing local business support, improving education and skills and investing in transport and other infrastructure.
If the government gives the LEP the green light, leaders of the councils say that “work will begin immediately” towards the first goal of making a bid to the Regional Growth Fund in December.
Andrew Eade, leader of Telford and Wrekin Council said: “This is a genuine partnership between the three localities of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, and it builds on hundreds of years of history and commerce. We share so much and each have our strengths which can be built upon for the overall benefit of the economy of the Marches.”
The Marches LEP submission has drawn in the support of the Shropshire and Telford and Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Small Business.
