Wragge & Co advises on formation of Birmingham LEP
THE Local Government team at law firm Wragge & Co has advised on the formation of the new Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership.
The firm said the appointment was a testing one as there was no blueprint for the organisation following the Government’s decision to introduce the partnerships to replace the existing network of Regional Development Agencies.
The new partnership covers Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Redditch, Solihull, Tamworth and Wyre Forest. The body is chaired by Andy Street, managing director of John Lewis Partnership, and comprises a board of business leaders and councillors plus an academic representative.
Wragge’s local government partner Stephen Sellers advised on the structure of the partnership.
He said: “As there is no blueprint for the form that LEPs should take, we provided creative thinking to determine how this partnership should work across a number of sectors. Our in-depth understanding of both business and local authorities enabled us to compose a structure to reflect the interests of all parties.”
Mr Sellers worked closely during the set-up period with the LEP development board chair Bridget Blow and Birmingham City Council’s in-house legal team, led by assistant director John Wynn.
Ms Blow added: “Private sector involvement was crucial at this start-up stage. Wragge & Co’s technical expertise, public sector knowledge and commercial focus meant it was ideally placed to devise the structure of the LEP and the form that it will take. This has helped us to put in place a full board of directors with ambitious plans to support the economic growth of the region.”
Wragge & Co’s 20-partner Local Government team acts for more than 100 local authorities across England, the team includes specialists in employment, regeneration, public procurement, private financing initiatives, pensions and strategic partnering.
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