State of the Region – are initiatives making a difference?
IS a commitment by Chancellor George Osborne in yesterday’s Autumn Statement to give more funding to the regions to be welcomed? Take part in our State of the Region survey and give your view.
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Having the power to make a real difference at the local level in areas such as transport and skills is what local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) have been calling for.
Mr Osborne said there would be new funding for Local Enterprise Partnerships and from April 2015 money for transport, skills and housing would be put in a single pot that LEPs will be able to bid for.
An extra £350m will also be put into the Regional Growth Fund.
But now we want to hear from you about whether you think regional initiatives are making a real difference to the Yorkshire economy.
Take TheBusinessDesk.com’s annual State of the Region survey and let us know what you think of LEPs, enterprise zones and plans to restore economic confidence at the regional level.
[FORM: 76]
Our major online survey is supported by lead sponsor DLA Piper and backed by Yorkshire Bank and the CBI.
It gives a comprehensive view of business sentiment across three of the UK’s biggest economic areas: Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the North West.
Following the collation of the findings of the survey, which looks at issues including international trade, employee issues and predictions for the UK economy, the results will be published on TheBusinessDesk.com in the New Year.
Jon Kenworthy, corporate partner at DLA Piper in Sheffield, said: “Last year, Yorkshire businesses reported that public sector spending cuts were the biggest challenge the region would face in 2012. Respondents reserved judgement on the newly formed LEPs, with 60% saying they did not yet know what impact they would have upon on the region. However, almost 70% of respondents were positive about the potential of the enterprise zones.
“As we head into 2013, the LEPs have been in place for a full year and the enterprise zones have moved forward, focusing on the key sectors that are believed to have the greatest impact on attracting inward investment to Yorkshire.
“However, the public purse still remains tight. We are interested to see how businesses have evolved and adapted to face the challenges of the regional and UK economy and whether they feel that as a region, we now have a stronger blueprint to achieve a return to growth.”
[FORM: 76]
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