28 Oct 2010

The government has revealed 24 bids for local enterprise partnerships have been successful. They include bids from Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham & Solihull, Leeds, Coast to Capital and Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly. But another 38 bids were rejected including those from Lancashire and Hull.

Ministers announced the first wave of successful partnerships today as part of a new plan for local economic growth. They also declared the £1.4bn Regional Growth Fund "open for business".

The government says the fund will support the creation of private sector jobs and will particularly support communities currently dependent on the public sector.Business

The announcements form part of a white paper on local growth published today, which sets out the government’s new approach to "rebalance the economy and drive sustainable growth".

Business secretary Vince Cable said: "I was delighted that so many of the proposals for local enterprise partnerships showed real imagination and initiative and a genuine desire to drive local economic growth. I am pleased to announce that we are asking 24 of these partnerships to set up their boards and get to work.

"The knowledge and expertise of the private sector, local authorities and their local communities will be crucial as we work to create a better environment for business and ensure that everyone has access to the opportunities that growth brings."

The 24 bids which have been asked to progress their proposals to the next stage are:

  • Birmingham & Solihull with E Staffordshire, Lichfield & Tamworth
  • Cheshire and Warrington
  • Coast to Capital
  • Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly
  • Coventry & Warwickshire
  • Cumbria
  • Gt Cambridge & Gt Peterborough
  • Greater Manchester
  • Hertfordshire
  • Kent, Greater Essex & East Sussex
  • Leeds City Region
  • Leicester & Leicestershire
  • Lincolnshire
  • Liverpool City Region
  • Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Derby, & Derbyshire
  • Oxfordshire City Region
  • Sheffield City Region
  • Solent
  • SE Midlands
  • Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire
  • Tees Valley
  • Thames Valley Berkshire
  • The Marches (Telford & Wrekin, Shropshire & Hereford)
  • West of England

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