Trio of town halls team up for LEP bid
LOCAL Enterprise Partnerships in the West Midlands have taken a new turn after three councils teamed up to submit a joint bid to the Government.
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Herefordshire councils have joined forces in the hope of forming their own LEP , the locally-based groups which will replace Advantage West Midlands when it is disbanded.
The proposals to form a new ‘Marches LEP’ is claimed by the councils to be one of the first of its kind in the country.
Shropshire Council leader Cllr Keith Barrow and Telford and Wrekin Council leader Cllr Andrew Eade issued a joint statement.
It said: “This collaborative approach is a major step forward. It will put us in a very strong position nationally, in bidding for investment from the Government’s £1bn Regional Growth Fund.
“We have been working closely with local businesses, and the organisations that represent them, and have strong support from them for our joint approach to have greater local control of business investment and support services.
“This is a clear commitment to securing economic growth for the area. Bringing Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Herefordshire together makes sense in terms of our shared local economy in this part of the country, and gives us greater bargaining power when looking for inward investment and other sources of funding.
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“It’s a really strong proposal and we hope the Government will sit up and take notice of what is a major, forward-thinking piece of work.”
The new partnership says it has a raft of ambitious aims, including supporting local businesses to get their voice heard and cut through red tape.
Geoffrey Davies OBE, chairman of the Shropshire Business Board, said: “This is an opportunity to apply well proven business experience to the needs of an area where there is a great deal of talent still to harness.
“From the word go, the intention is to tackle priorities and create an effective decision-making body.”
