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In England, local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) were voluntary partnerships between local authorities and businesses, set up in 2011 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to help determine local economic priorities and lead economic growth and job creation within the local area. They carried out some of the functions previously carried out by the regional development agencies which were abolished in March 2012. In certain areas, funding was received from the UK government via growth deals. Funding for LEPs was withdrawn by the Rishi Sunak Conservative government in April 2024 and their functions were assumed by local authorities, some of whom have formed Business Boards as replacements.

History

The abolition of regional development agencies and the creation of local enterprise partnerships were announced as part of the June 2010 United Kingdom budget. On 29 June 2010, a letter was sent from the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to local authority and business leaders, inviting proposals to replace regional development agencies in their areas by 6 September 2010. On 7 September 2010, details were released of 56 proposals for local enterprise partnerships that had been received. On 6 October 2010, during the Conservative Party Conference, it was revealed that 22 had been given the provisional 'green light' to proceed and others might later be accepted with amendments. 24 bids were announced as successful on 28 October 2010.

LEPs were set up on a voluntary basis without any public funding and struggled to make progress. A report by Michael Heseltine in October 2012, No Stone Unturned, was largely accepted by Government, and proposed delegating certain funds from central government to LEPs. Changes included:

• allocating a share of a £1,400m Local Growth Fund to generate growth, through competitive bidding;
• getting LEPs to draw up plans for local growth as the basis for negotiation on the money in the Fund
• realigning the management of the EU Structural and Investment Funds in England to follow the plans made by LEPs.

City deals

The LEP areas of Greater Birmingham and Solihull, Greater Manchester, Leeds City Region, North Eastern, Sheffield City Region, and West of England were included in the first wave of 'city deals' in 2012.

Growth deals

Local growth deals, for projects that benefit the local area and economy, began to be made to some LEPs in 2014.

Abolition and successor bodies

The Rishi Sunak Conservative government withdrew funding for the partnerships in April 2024 and transferred their functions to the Greater London Authority, combined authorities and upper-tier local authorities (i.e. county councils or unitary authorities).

In the months after funding was withdrawn from LEPs in April 2024, many local authorities and combined authorities formed Business Boards to assume the functions previously carried out by LEPs.

List of LEPs

Local enterprise partnership areas were allowed to overlap, so a local authority was permitted to be part of more than one local enterprise partnership. After the March 2017 merger of Northamptonshire LEP into South East Midlands LEP, there were 38 local enterprise partnerships in operation.

See also

• Local government in England
• History of local government in England
• Multi-area agreement
• Local strategic partnership
• Local transport bodies
• Combined authorities and combined county authorities

Notes

1. The local authority areas taking part in two LEPs were Aylesbury Vale, Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Bolsover, Bromsgrove, Cannock Chase, Cherwell, Chesterfield, Croydon, Derbyshire Dales, East Hampshire, East Staffordshire, Forest Heath, Harrogate, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Lewes, Lichfield, New Forest, North East Derbyshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Hertfordshire, North Lincolnshire, Redditch, St Edmundsbury, Tamworth, Test Valley, Uttlesford, Winchester, Wyre Forest and York.
2. ^ Overlaps with other LEPs
3. Formerly Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough
4. Advisory role only; economic functions are the responsibility of the Mayor of London
5. Formerly Sheffield City Region

References

1. "Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and Enterprise Zones". GOV.UK. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
2. Mark Hoban (22 June 2010). Budget 2010 (PDF). HM Treasury. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
3. "Local enterprise partnerships". Department of Communities and Local Government. 29 June 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
4. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (7 September 2010). "New Local Enterprise Partnerships criss-cross the country". News Distribution Service. Archived from the original on 13 September 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
5. Allister Hayman (6 October 2010). "LEPs: 22 bald men fighting over a comb?". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
6. "Live blog: Sub-national economic growth white paper". 28 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
7. Allister Hayman (7 September 2010). "The geography of LEPs: final list". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
8. "Cities' economic power unlocked in radical power shift". GOV.UK.
9. "Local Growth Deals". GOV.UK. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
10. Boakye, Kwame (15 March 2023). "Government plans to abolish leps". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
11. "Business Boards". www.businessboardnetwork.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
12. Colin Marrs (27 August 2010). "Array of LEP proposals emerge in Yorkshire". Regen.net. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
13. ^ "LEP Welcomes Rutland County Council". www.greaterlincolnshirelep.co.uk. Greater Lincolnshire LEP. 11 May 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
14. ^ "Ties Strengthened in LEP Reorganisation". www.greaterlincolnshirelep.co.uk. Greater Lincolnshire LEP. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
15. "London Enterprise Panel | Greater London Authority". Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.

External links

• The LEP Network
• Business Board Network
• Embeddable map of all the LEPs

• Economy of England
• Local government in England
• Local enterprise partnerships
• 2011 establishments in England
• Government agencies established in 2011