Cumbria LEP chair to stand down after seven years
The chair of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, George Beveridge, is to step down from the role after seven years.
During his tenure he has helped to implement a multi-million-pound programme of economic development projects around the county.
As head of Cumbria’s strategic economic body, an unpaid role, he has overseen the ongoing investment of over £60m of funding from the Government’s Growth Deal programme designed to accelerate economic growth in the county.
Large scale LEP projects include the regeneration of the Barrow Waterfront site to transform derelict land into a new business park; new advanced manufacturing centres at Carlisle and Furness colleges; STEM labs at the University of Cumbria; investment in Carlisle Airport; access improvements to the Port of Workington and Durranhill; and investments in road improvements and broadband across the county. New major investments are also planned for Whitehaven Town Centre and Carlisle.
Local businesses have also been awarded more than £4m of grants, under the Regional Growth Fund programme, to help them create jobs and grow.
These investment programmes are set to create over 4,300 new jobs, 4,200 training places for local people and attract an additional £53m in private and public sector investment in the county.
Beveridge said: “I am very proud and privileged to have been chair of Cumbria LEP since it was set up – and of the LEP’s achievements during that period. The role of chair involves a substantial time commitment and the last seven years have been hard work, but extremely satisfying.
“I am particularly pleased that we have secured investment to grow higher level STEM skills capacity in Cumbria to meet employers’ needs through investment at Furness and Carlisle colleges and the University of Cumbria in Carlisle. Providing high quality training routes and career paths for our next generation in Cumbria is something I have been passionate about.”
The role of chair at Cumbria LEP involves working with local authorities and the private sector to determine local economic priorities and undertake activities to drive economic growth and the creation of jobs.
Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership’s director Graham Haywood said: “George has been a key figure in the Cumbrian economy over the last seven years, working tirelessly to help deliver key programmes which are now bringing many benefits for the county.”
“The projects which he has helped to bring to fruition have produced additional private sector investment and business premises, improvements to transport and infrastructure, thousands of learning opportunities, new jobs, flood resilience measures and better IT and broadband access.”
Beveridge has spent more than 30 years in a variety of roles in the UK nuclear industry. He was a founding director of the Cumbria Inward Investment Agency, and is a former chair of CBI North West. He has also been representing Cumbria on the Transport for the North Board, the new strategic transport body for the North of England.
The recruitment process for a new chair of Cumbria LEP will be announced shortly.
