{"id":80102,"date":"2017-03-28T09:47:06","date_gmt":"2017-03-28T09:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?guid=e4566985b0a46c8cd9aa6eecd85bc995"},"modified":"2017-03-28T09:47:06","modified_gmt":"2017-03-28T09:47:06","slug":"speech-how-leps-can-build-the-local-foundations-for-a-global-britain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/?p=80102","title":{"rendered":"Speech: How LEPs can build the local foundations for a global Britain"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Good afternoon everyone, I hope you\u2019ve had a great day today.<\/p>\n

On the way here I was looking at your \u201cLEP<\/abbr> Factor\u201d fliers.<\/p>\n

If this is the LEP<\/abbr> Factor I guess that means Graham is Simon Cowell.<\/p>\n

So pull your trousers up a little higher, Graham!<\/p>\n

When you all got together this time last year, Greg Clark was standing here and I was Business Secretary.<\/p>\n

Since then we\u2019ve done a bit of a job swap.<\/p>\n

At the time I saw one tweet that congratulated us both on getting promoted.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not quite sure how that works!<\/p>\n

Anyway, as I told some of you at the LEP<\/abbr> chairs dinner last October, Greg may have taken on the business brief.<\/p>\n

But universities and skills are now with Justine Greening, and trade is with Liam Fox.<\/p>\n

Which means the Prime Minister thought she needed three people to do my old job!<\/p>\n

I never get tired of telling people that!<\/p>\n

I\u2019m the last speaker today.<\/p>\n

And I know that, at conferences like this, that can be an excuse to talk about what has been discussed, to look back at what has happened.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to do that.<\/p>\n

I want to look ahead.<\/p>\n

I want to talk about what the future holds for LEPs<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

Because I don\u2019t think there\u2019s ever been a better, more exciting time to be involved with local enterprise partnerships<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to believe that less than 7 years ago you didn\u2019t exist at all.<\/p>\n

That as recently as 2010 we were making do with vast, unresponsive, regional development agencies.<\/p>\n

Top-down decision-making.<\/p>\n

Businesses being told what they need by bureaucrats.<\/p>\n

Strategies designed to fit lines on a map rather than real-life communities.<\/p>\n

But since then, everything has changed.<\/p>\n

LEPs<\/abbr> are focussed, dynamic, responsive.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re organic, built around local needs and local people rather than local authority boundaries.<\/p>\n

And above all, they\u2019re driven by the people who really understand what the local economy needs \u2013 local business leaders.<\/p>\n

So before I go any further, I want to say thank you to all of the business figures, and particularly the LEP<\/abbr> chairs, who have made these partnerships so successful.<\/p>\n

You give up your time, your expertise and so much more.<\/p>\n

And just look at how much you\u2019ve achieved.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m told you\u2019ve helped create 145,000 jobs \u2013 some of which haven\u2019t been taken by George Osborne!<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve trained 95,000 people.<\/p>\n

Your local growth hubs have engaged with well over 400,000 businesses.<\/p>\n

Enterprise zones have already attracted more than \u00a32.6 billion of private sector investment, with 12 more enterprise zones starting from next week.<\/p>\n

Those are big, impressive numbers.<\/p>\n

They look great on a spreadsheet.<\/p>\n

But behind them are tens of thousands of real people seeing a real difference in their communities.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s the young graduate who\u2019s finally able to get a job and move out and start living his life.<\/p>\n

The mother who can give her kids a better life because her small business isn\u2019t so small anymore.<\/p>\n

The middle-aged man who thought his working life was over when he was laid off, but has had the chance to retrain and begin again.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what LEPs<\/abbr> have done.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what YOU have done.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re not just helping businesses, you\u2019re helping communities.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re helping people.<\/p>\n

And for that, I can\u2019t thank you enough.<\/p>\n

But now, I want to look at what LEPs<\/abbr> can do in the future.<\/p>\n

I know there\u2019s a lot of change going on right now.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re just weeks away from seeing a wave of new Mayoral Combined Authorities<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From May, a third of England will have a directly-elected mayor.<\/p>\n

And of course, on Wednesday (29 March), the Prime Minister is going to trigger Article 50.<\/p>\n

Two years from now we\u2019re going to be leaving the European Union, and that\u2019s going to affect every community and every LEP<\/abbr> area right across the country.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not blind to the fact that change on that scale is going to bring challenges for LEPs<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s also going to bring a lot of opportunities.<\/p>\n

Opportunities to grow.<\/p>\n

Opportunities to diversify.<\/p>\n

Opportunities to make even more of a difference to the communities you serve.<\/p>\n

Look at Brexit.<\/p>\n

Leaving the European Union obviously means an end to European Union structural and investment funding.<\/p>\n

On the surface, that looks worrying.<\/p>\n

But remember that the Chancellor has already issued a series of guarantees<\/a> about EU funding<\/a> over the Brexit period.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re already working on our replacement for EU funding in the longer term.<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t just about changing the name of the funding pots<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also an opportunity to rethink how local funding works.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s an opportunity to make it truly local.<\/p>\n

Because, whatever the final outcome, you\u2019ll no longer be jumping through hoops made in Brussels, trying to satisfy criteria set by an anonymous EU bureaucrat.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll make you jump through traditional British hoops instead!<\/p>\n

There are lots of questions, and I want to work with you to come up with the answers.<\/p>\n

I want to hear your thoughts and your ideas on how to reshape and develop the role of LEPs<\/abbr> in delivering local growth.<\/p>\n

And I know you\u2019ll have plenty of ideas, because LEPs<\/abbr> across the country have repeatedly shown that they\u2019re capable of taking bold, innovative decisions.<\/p>\n

Sometimes those decisions are about structures.<\/p>\n

For example, the Northamptonshire and South East Midlands LEPs<\/abbr> joined forces after realising they could serve their communities better as one body.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, we\u2019re seeing LEPs<\/abbr> thinking beyond the boundaries of their growth deal.<\/p>\n

Look at South East, the first LEP<\/abbr> to be awarded \u201chousing business ready\u201d status by the Housing and Finance Institute.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s working with councils, planners, developers and regulators to make sure utilities and infrastructure are provided where they\u2019re needed right across the region.<\/p>\n

The unique nature of a LEP<\/abbr> means it can do this across traditional local authority boundaries and across both the public and private sector.<\/p>\n

And that means it can better reflect the needs of local people and local businesses.<\/p>\n

I want to see more of this, in any field where LEPs<\/abbr> can make a significant, positive difference.<\/p>\n

You shouldn\u2019t just be about directing local capital programmes.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s always been the case, by the way.<\/p>\n

The 2010 white paper<\/a> that created LEPs<\/abbr> said they should \u201cprovide the clear vision and strategic leadership to drive sustainable private-sector led growth and job creation\u201d.<\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t put limits on how you should do that, so you shouldn\u2019t limit yourselves now.<\/p>\n

I was delighted to see that you worked with my department to establish a working group on housing.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure you\u2019re full of ideas about how you can help implement our housing white paper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve seen in the South East, Enterprise M3, Coast to Capital and others, you have a potentially huge role to play in influencing public and private investment and overcoming delivery blockages.<\/p>\n

And you don\u2019t need me to tell you that, in many parts of the country, fixing the housing market is a crucial step in securing sustainable local growth.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a fledgling working group on town centre regeneration.<\/p>\n

Again, this is an area where LEPs<\/abbr> can provide a strong, singular local focus, co-ordinating across the public and private sectors.<\/p>\n

Thames Valley Berkshire has already shown how this can work.<\/p>\n

It has used Growing Places Funding to bring forward regeneration projects in Bracknell, Maidenhead and Wokingham.<\/p>\n

LEPs<\/abbr> supported the area-based review of further education.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll now be looking for ways to cement your role in providing the skills and training that businesses need.<\/p>\n

Again, this is something I\u2019d love to see you doing more work on.<\/p>\n

There are opportunities for you to create a better environment for entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

That could mean working with higher education and business schools, supporting spin-outs, providing space and so on.<\/p>\n

Or it could mean offering greater support for the unique needs of social enterprises, supporting entrepreneurs who want to do more in their communities.<\/p>\n

And with changes to business rate relief and 100% business rate retention, LEPs<\/abbr> will have a crucial role both for local businesses and local government, offering advice and serving as a formal consultee.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also about using the unique role of LEPs<\/abbr> \u2013 and the unique insights of their business members \u2013 to help build a stronger local economy in whatever way you can.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s a role that\u2019s only going to get more important in the months and years ahead.<\/p>\n

This government is determined to build a new, global Britain.<\/p>\n

And a global Britain needs strong local foundations, something LEPs<\/abbr> have a huge role in providing.<\/p>\n

So there are many opportunities to come, and I want to see LEPs<\/abbr> being proactive about embracing them.<\/p>\n

Yes, we\u2019ve been running a review from our end to see how the role of LEPs<\/abbr> can be strengthened.<\/p>\n

But I don\u2019t want you to wait to be told what to do, or even asked.<\/p>\n

Go out there and show us what you\u2019re capable of.<\/p>\n

But as you look at the opportunities for expansion and diversification, it\u2019s important that you don\u2019t neglect the basics.<\/p>\n

For example, there are still too many businesses, well over half in fact, who say they\u2019re not aware of their LEP<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

And of course there\u2019s also a difference between a dim awareness and active engagement.<\/p>\n

I hear a lot of positive feedback from businesses, particularly larger ones, about the support they get from LEPs<\/abbr> and the growth hubs you\u2019ve created.<\/p>\n

But I want you to ask yourselves whether you\u2019re doing enough to communicate with smaller businesses, with those outside the LEP<\/abbr> bubble.<\/p>\n

Are you talking to people who don\u2019t have a lobby group to speak for them?<\/p>\n

Are you meeting the needs of everyone in your area, or just the ones who reach out to you?<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re going to make this a country that works for everyone, it\u2019s not enough to focus on the easy wins.<\/p>\n

Over the past few years LEPs<\/abbr> have worked tremendously hard to get established and start making a difference.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s time to make sure you\u2019re delivering for everyone who could benefit from your help.<\/p>\n

That won\u2019t just be good for the people who benefit, it\u2019ll also be good for LEPs<\/abbr> themselves.<\/p>\n

Increased visibility and increased trust add up to increased support, with more people and more businesses willing to speak up and engage with LEPs<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a virtuous circle.<\/p>\n

My other big ask of you is to take a good look at your corporate governance.<\/p>\n

We all know that last year\u2019s headlines about fat cats investing in their own businesses do not reflect the actions of the vast majority of LEPs<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

But if we\u2019re going to get maximum value for taxpayers\u2019 money, and if the public are going to trust you to deliver that, you have to make sure every penny you spend is transparent and justified.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we\u2019ve strengthened the rules around how funds are spent and invested<\/p>\n

Because the funds you invest on behalf of your communities isn\u2019t your money or my money.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s taxpayers\u2019 money.<\/p>\n

Every last penny of it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s given to us on trust, to be spent for the good of the whole country.<\/p>\n

You all know that.<\/p>\n

And I know for a fact that most business people involved with LEPs<\/abbr> \u2013 in fact most business people full stop \u2013 have nothing but the best, most honest intentions.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we created LEPs<\/abbr> in the first place.<\/p>\n

Because we knew we could trust you to deliver for your communities.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the Industrial Strategy<\/a> commits to strengthening and supporting LEPs<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen some of the incredible work you\u2019ve done already, and we want to see more of it.<\/p>\n

\n

About 30 years ago, I was a student at the University of Exeter.<\/p>\n

Apparently I was there at the same time as Thom Yorke from Radiohead, but unlike him, I wasn\u2019t one of the cooler kids on campus.<\/p>\n

In fact while he was writing epoch-defining music, I was busy setting up the Exeter Enterprise Forum.<\/p>\n

It was a kind of amateur think-tank, aimed at supporting local growth through free enterprise economics.<\/p>\n

I call it a think-tank, it was basically just me and my mate Tim!<\/p>\n

And, with hindsight, I\u2019m not sure we ever actually did a huge amount to create jobs and opportunity in South Devon!<\/p>\n

But our hearts were in the right place.<\/p>\n

We wanted to help businesses grow so that communities could flourish.<\/p>\n

Thirty years later, it gives me great pleasure to see Local Enterprise Partnerships doing just that.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been passionate about business.<\/p>\n

From growing up above the family shop, to setting up my little think-tank to a 20-year career in international finance, I\u2019ve always believed that business, done well, has the power to transform lives.<\/p>\n

Without a strong economy to pay for it, there would be no National Health Service.<\/p>\n

No world-class schools.<\/p>\n

No government support for the needy and vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Put simply, we need this country to be home to a successful, growing private sector.<\/p>\n

And by bringing businesses to the heart of local investment and local decision-making, that is exactly what LEPs<\/abbr> deliver.<\/p>\n

You have achieved an amazing amount over the past few years.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll see even greater success in the years to come.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m looking forward to working with you all to make sure that\u2019s exactly what happens.<\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sajid Javid talks to leaders of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) about the important role they have to play in growing the UK economy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80102"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=80102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80102\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=80102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=80102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mostafa.openonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=80102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}