Enterprising Northamptonshire Wins Approval

Businesses in Northamptonshire will be supported by a new local enterprise partnership approved today by Business Minister Mark Prisk and Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark.

The Northamptonshire local enterprise partnership covers a population of around 683,000 and represents over 24,785 businesses. It has the support of both businesses and local authorities in the area and joins the 37 partnerships announced since the Government's Local Growth White Paper was published in October last year.

The priority of the private sector-led partnership is to promote growth and create jobs in the area.

To achieve this, the Northamptonshire partnership plans to help create 70,000 new jobs over the next 15 years.

Its priorities include increasing the coverage of super-fast broad band, regenerating and improving connectivity between the main population areas, supporting the tourism industry and helping to realise the potential of the growth sectors like advanced manufacturing and engineering, information technology and logistics.

Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk said: "I am delighted that we are able to approve a proposal for a Northamptonshire local enterprise partnership, which will have the best interests of the local area at its heart.

"All local enterprise partnerships are making excellent progress in bringing together their plans for local growth, and I hope to see this partnership working quickly to identify the needs of the area it will serve.

"Local enterprise partnerships have an important role to play in identifying each area’s potential for growth and I want all local communities to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of the private sector and the opportunities that growth brings."

Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark said: "Northamptonshire has huge potential for growth and in the next ten years is well placed to help drive national economic recovery.

"The Northamptonshire local enterprise partnership will see local civic and business leaders take the reins of the local economy and exploit this potential for Northamptonshire to become a powerhouse for the economy.

"We now have 38 local enterprise partnerships that are a testament to the strength of local leadership, ideas and ambition across the country and will help create a fairer, more balanced economy driven by private sector strength."

A new network for local enterprise partnerships is now live following Ministers' announcement in April that the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) would establish a network to share best practice across the LEP community. Although the BCC has been invited to convene the Network, it will be separate from the BCC and will work collaboratively with other organisations including business groups.

Local enterprise partnerships bring together local business and civic leaders, working to support their local economy.

They operate within a geography that reflects natural economic areas and provide the vision, knowledge and strategic leadership needed to drive sustainable private sector growth and job creation in their area.

(BMcC)