‘Agonising birth’ for Lancs LEP says Booth

EDWIN Booth, chairman of the Preston supermarket chain EH Booth, has conceded the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) had an “agonising birth”.

Disputes between the various councils about whether to progress with just one or several sub-county LEPs has meant that the area’s LEP did not progress as quickly as in other areas.

But Mr Booth, who chairs the LEP, said the situation was not helped by a lack of clarity on its role and remit at the start.

Speaking at the Northern Growth Summit in Leeds he told TheBusinessDesk: “I asked Eric Pickles (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) what our role was and was told ‘you are a bit of an experiment’.”

“We have been told that we are not a vision board, but we being turned to for vision.”

At the conference, hosted by Regeneration & Renewal and Planning magazines, Mr Booth called on colleges to change their culture and get “business ready”.

He said that he wanted a significant change in the higher and further education sector.   

“I want the HE and FE sector to be like jets, with constant readiness,” said Booth, “speed is important.”

However, he added: “I have heard that getting educationalist to change their ways is like walking in gloop.”

The fifth generation family businessman said that matching business demands with college courses was one of the major issues that needed tackling – an issue raised by other business colleagues at the conference.

Speaking after the event, Mr Booth said: “In the first instance it’s about attitudes. It is about leadership and there is a genuine will to adapt to business needs. We have to get the courses that suit the demands and the LEP is a vehicle to achieve this.”

The retailer, who had to be persuaded to take up the chairmanship after turning the role down twice, talked about reducing a culture of “over-providing” in areas where there wasn’t demand and meeting real demands. He highlighted Lancashire’s strong nuclear and advanced engineering base, and the technical skills required.  

The LEP has proposed a Skills City to operate within the region’s enterprise zone.