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Gloucestershire "stands a really good chance" of getting an enterprise zone after the green light was given for the Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Suzanne Hall-Gibbins, director of the Gloucestershire Chamber of Commerce, told Insider that the calibre of the LEP board should help to secure a zone.

She said: "The LEP has pitched for an enterprise zone for Gloucestershire and the Forest of Dean, and I think we stand a good chance of getting that. I think the government will take some notice of the calibre of the board; it's serious, and nobody is paying lip service to it."

The LEP will be led by GFirst, the county council’s economic arm, and Diane Savory is heading up the board. The businesswoman recently stood down as the chief operating officer of clothing retail giant Supergroup.

She said: "My own experience at Supergroup demonstrated to me that Gloucestershire can foster fast business growth.

“Now I want the Local Enterprise Partnership to be the organisation that produces a completely fresh and positive ‘can-do’ commercial environment in the county.”

And Hall-Gibbins is confident that Savory will make the LEP work. She said: "Having somebody of Diane Savory's stature leading the LEP is great for Gloucestershire. I think it sets the right standard and the right tone.

"I worked with Diane at Supergroup and she is fantastic – she's very focused and really passionate about Gloucestershire. She'll make it work along with the other board members.

The full LEP board is due to be announced at the end of June and Hall-Gibbins said that GFirst will look for the right people to take the remaining positions.

She said: "They've appointed a board to look at where the gaps are and to go out and find the right people. For example, there's nobody on the board at the moment covering manufacturing or advanced engineering."

Hall-Gibbins also indicated what issues the LEP would look to address. "The key issues for the LEP will be around transport, education and skills, looking at tourism and the rural aspects of the county and keeping the core industries like aerospace and manufacturing - which are right across the county."

The Gloucestershire LEP covers a population of around 600,000 and represents over 25,000 businesses. The priority of the private sector-led partnership is to promote growth and create jobs in the area.