South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership Growing Greater

South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership Growing Greater Places Together GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS PLAN FOR GROWTH April 2012 - March 2013 Luton 9 th February 2012

What are Local Enterprise Partnerships? LEPs are locally owned partnerships between local authorities and businesses. LEPs play a central role in determining local economic priorities and undertaking activities to drive economic growth and the creation of local jobs. LEPs come in all shapes and sizes and the make-up of Boards, in terms of public and private sector participants, varies greatly too. LEPs are evolving from the bottom up – free from central control and shaped according to local need.

Map of LEPs There are 38 LEPs South East Midlands is 19 on this map

Almost 2 m people Four unitary authorities Bedford Borough Central Bedfordshire Luton Milton Keynes Seven district authorities Aylesbury Vale Cherwell Corby Daventry Kettering Northampton South Northamptonshire

Ambition By March 2015, the SE Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership aspires to be one of the most innovative, successful and high performing local enterprise partnerships in England, as measured by growth in Gross Value Added per head relative to other LEPs and as demonstrated by the effective collective leadership provided by local authority and private sector partners.

Role and Purpose SE Midland LEP‘s focus is on private sector-led growth and inward investment The LEP’s role is to create the right environment for businesses to grow The SE Midlands LEP’s way of working is characterised by a strong and transparent unity of purpose shared by all partners. By working together in pursuit of a single purpose, we aim to get the best out of public and private leaders at all levels in the organisations and communities with whom we work, and throughout businesses of all types and size. Growth impacts on and is measured by demonstrable increases and improvements that result from this way of working in businesses, jobs, homes and communities.

Fulfilling the LEP’s role and purpose strategic leadership on sectors: advisory groups: and with enabling activities Board strategic lead on Advisory Groups Board strategic lead on showcase sector activities Board strategic lead on enabling activities SEMLEP Business Plan 2012 -13

Fulfilling the LEP’s role and purpose strategic leadership on sectors: advisory groups: and with enabling activities Showcase Sectors Advanced Technology & Manufacturing Creative Industries Green Economy High Performance engineering Logistics Visitor Economy Advisory Groups Business Engagement Voluntary & Community Sector Property Development Investment & Infrastructure Delivery Enabling Activities Broadband Enterprise Zone Transport Inward Investment Skills SEMLEP Business Plan 2012 -13

Showcase Sector leaders Advanced Technology & Manufacturing Walter Greaves Creative Industries Steve Judge Green Economy Tricia Turner High Performance Engineering Richard Phillips Logistics Mary Clarke Visitor Economy Tom Wells Advisory Groups leaders Business Engagement Cheryl Smart Voluntary & Community Sector Mike Nussbaum Property Development Investment & Infrastructure Delivery John Corrigan SEMLEP Business Plan 2012 -13 Enabling Activity leaders Broadband Mike Edmonds Enterprise Zone David Mackintosh Transport Roy Davis Inward Investment Dave Hodgson Skills Les Ebdon

Private Sector Board Directors Tom Wells Richard Phillips John Corrigan

Private Sector Board Directors Steve Judge Cheryl Smart Walter Greaves

Public Sector Board Directors Cllr Tricia Turner Cllr David Mackintosh Mayor Dave Hodgson

Public Sector Board Directors Cllr Mike Edmonds Cllr Mary Clarke Cllr Roy Davis

Voluntary & Community Sector Observer Higher Education Director and Chair Mike Nussbaum Les Ebdon Ann Limb

The Board fulfils its collective strategic leadership role by focussing on the following actions giving support to local authority delivery teams, businesses and other stakeholder groups engaged in implementation of local authority plans and overall SEMLEP business plan fulfilling a scrutiny role in respect of performance management of SEMLEP Business Plan agreed activities providing stewardship of funds, programmes and projects agreed in SEMLEP Business Plan e. g. Enterprise Zone and Growing Places Fund offering skills and expertise to showcase sector groups, advisory groups and enabling activities stretching thinking and challenging ways of working

4 main areas of activity DELIVERING GROWTH EFFECTIVELY AND SPEEDILY REMOVING BARRIERS TO GROWTH ATTRACTING NEW GROWTH ACROSS THE AREA GROWING OURSELVES

DELIVERING GROWTH EFFECTIVELY AND SPEEDILY 1. To support all SEMLEP local authorities to deliver their economic development plans and related activities designed to stimulate growth to be achieved by March 2013 identify and benchmark the number of existing jobs 1 in each of the local authority areas of the SE Midlands, particularly in SEMLEP’s showcase sectors, to create an agreed baseline for reliable measurement of new net jobs created over the three year period and implement this across SEMLEP increase the number of net new jobs by 1% above the national average 1 latest available data source is Annex E SEMLEP Proposition & Business Case September 2010

Actions to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 coordinate programmes of work SEMLEP undertakes with local authority elected members, Chief Executives and local authority officers in order to promote and accelerate implementation of their economic development and related activities champion examples of good practice of local authority engagement with businesses and encourage these to be shared and adopted more widely across SEMLEP work with the business community, through the Business Engagement Group (BEG), led by the Board strategic champion for business, Cheryl Smart, to involve businesses in private sector-led growth across the SE Midlands.

Actions to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 organise an annual BIG (Business Innovation and Growth) Conference to raise the profile, extent, success and ambition of economic development activities across the SE Midlands

DELIVERING GROWTH EFFECTIVELY AND SPEEDILY 2. To help the SEMLEP Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone successfully deliver its initial targets for new jobs and businesses by March 2013 to be achieved by March 2013 deliver 500 net new jobs in SEMLEP Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone create 50 new businesses that are successfully operating in SEMLEP Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone

Actions to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 in conjunction with the SEMLEP Board strategic champion for the Enterprise Zone, Cllr David Mackintosh provide effective leadership to, and high level programme management of, the SEMLEP Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone project to support Northampton Borough Council and their partners in delivery of the Enterprise Zone plan devise and agree ways that the Enterprise Zone adds value to and helps bring success to all parts of the SE Midlands LEP and to neighbouring LEPs monitor implementation of the statement of cooperation and partnership with Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) scrutinise delivery of the Enterprise Zone implementation plan and give appropriate support to Northampton Borough Council and their partners to take action if delivery falls behind schedule

Actions to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 propose and agree a mechanism for determining priorities, allocating and sharing across SEMLEP revenue derived from the EZ’s enhanced business rates act as ambassadors for the SEMLEP Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone by using our business networks and collective spheres of influence to publicise its existence and aspirations and to advocate its wider benefits to the SE Midlands and the UK as a whole agree a workable financial model and detailed action plans for marketing and inward investment

REMOVING BARRIERS TO GROWTH 3. To facilitate investment in key new physical infrastructure to unlock short and medium term development across SEMLEP to be achieved March 2013 use the opportunities provided by the Growing Places Fund, and any other government initiatives, to demonstrate our capacity to lead strategically and to deliver speedily by taking bold decisions on infrastructure development that are to the benefit of all partners in the SE Midlands LEP in the medium term. help ensure that the infrastructure projects needed to improve key eastwest links such as East West Rail are supported locally and included in appropriate central government funding plans

Actions to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 draw up a SEMLEP Local Infrastructure Plan identifying and prioritising key infrastructure projects whose delivery will accelerate growth in jobs, businesses and homes across the area implement a programme and project management approach to investment of the £ 12. 7 m Growing Places Fund and by working with the private sector, in particular with the Property Development, Investment and Infrastructure Delivery Group (PDIIDG) and Board strategic lead for infrastructure John Corrigan

Actions to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 create a revolving SEMLEP Local Infrastructure Fund for both short and medium term use encourage maintenance of the ‘open borders’ philosophy and implement a policy of cross boundary cooperation between local authorities and LEPs to ensure that planning consents, the provision of utilities and other necessary arrangements to accelerate delivery of infrastructure are in put in place as quickly and efficiently as possible influence national investment in key transport routes of strategic importance for the SE Midlands and surrounding LEPs particularly through the Board strategic champion for transport Cllr Roy Davis provide continuing support for East West Rail project and identify required local contributions

REMOVING BARRIERS TO GROWTH 4. To facilitate investment in key digital infrastructure to accelerate development across SEMLEP to be achieved March 2013 analyse the existing coverage of next generation access (NGA) broadband across the SE Midlands identify ways in which coverage can be increased, particularly in rural areas and for the benefit of businesses and the digitally excluded

Actions to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 Cllr Mike Edm 0 nds, in conjunction with neighbouring LEPs, to lead the development of a SEMLEP wide strategy for delivering next generation access broadband, using a SEMLEP Board strategic champion to shepherd resources and bring together key players to accelerate progress and improve connectivity explore ways in which greater innovation in working practices can be achieved through wider and quicker access to NGA broadband

REMOVING BARRIERS TO GROWTH 5. To work with the secondary, further, higher, and voluntary & community and private sector education & training providers across SEMLEP to ensure skills outcomes match business needs to be achieved March 2013 establish a methodology through which SEMLEP can derive the maximum resources for the range of providers in our area in the new era of outcome related funding

Action to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 working with and through the existing SE Midlands Universities (SEMU), local authority officers, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), relevant Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) other appropriate bodies, Prof. Les Ebdon, together with SEMLEP Board members who take a strategic lead on skills and the voluntary and community sector will develop a SEMLEP wide Funding Skills Outcomes Plan that defines the range of fundable outcomes that match SEMLEP’s business needs and maximises revenue available to private and public sector providers to raise skills levels across the area

ATTRACTING NEW GROWTH ACROSS THE AREA 6. To work with UKTI to support all SEMLEP local authorities to attract new overseas business into the area through accelerated delivery of their inward investment plans to be achieved March 2013 analyse the existing arrangements for inward investment across the SE Midlands identify and recommend for adoption ways in which these arrangements could be enhanced for the benefit of partners and the SE Midlands area as a whole

Action to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 determine and agree an effective way of working with SEMLEP local authorities and UKTI to coordinate inward investment enquires, marketing activities and delivery across SEMLEP and where relevant across neighbouring LEPs, to achieve the growth in new businesses locating in the area Mayor Dave Hodgson as Board strategic champion for inward investment to shepherd resources and bring together key players to accelerate progress and ensure clear effective practices are developed and implemented across the whole SE Midlands LEP area

GROWING OURSELVES 7. To develop a sustainable future for SEMLEP with increased awareness of what an LEP can do and a reputation for speedy and effective delivery to be achieved March 2013 establish effective strategic and operational capacity to deliver a focussed and credible Business and Financial Plan 2012 -13 and to put in place a longer term Strategic Plan to March 2015 establish effective performance management and risk management systems to monitor delivery of the Business and Financial Plan 2012 -13 create an active SEMLEP database, using existing channels through business organisations (as appropriate and subject to data protection considerations) of 10, 000 business contacts across the area and agree with them a feedback mechanism for ensuring they are aware of what SEMLEP does and how they can benefit

Actions to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 develop a focussed and realistic business plan and sustainable financial plan that includes contributions from the private sector as well as a strategic way of leveraging a range of other sources of funding establish structures and mechanisms that ensure good company governance, effective monitoring of performance against defined targets and sound risk management widen and strengthen SEMLEP’s communication channels with businesses and community organisations by developing a simple and strong Board communications structure and strategy and by improving the SEMLEP brand website capabilities

Actions to be undertaken between April 2012 -March 2013 demonstrate the Board’s commitment to working on behalf of the whole South East Midlands by holding Board meetings in each location and taking opportunities to learn about and promote economic development activities undertaken in each local authority area establish a reputation in government, in business and in the wider community as a ’go to’ LEP that delivers, can be trusted, and has credibility, authority and influence

Showcase Sector Champions Cllr Mary Clarke Cllr Tricia Turner Richard Phillips Logistics Green Economy High Performance Engineering Steve Judge Creative Industries Tom Wells Visitor Economy Walter Greaves Advanced Technology & Manufacturing

Delivering Growth to support all SEMLEP local authorities to deliver their economic development plans and related activities designed to stimulate growth • identify and benchmark the number of existing jobs in each of the local authority areas and in SE Midlands LEP’s showcase sectors • increase net new jobs by 1% above average • deliver 500 new jobs and 50 new businesses in the Northampton Enterprise Zone Attracting New Growth to work with UKTI to support local authorities and deliver inward investment • analyse existing arrangements for inward investment. • identify ways to enhance arrangements to benefit all partners Removing Barriers to Growth to facilitate investment in key infrastructure to unlock development • invest £ 12. 5 m available from Growing Places Fund and other initiatives in key infrastructure development • analyse coverage of Next Generation Broadband identify ways to increase coverage Growing ourselves to develop a sustainable future for SEMLEP with a reputation for speedy effective delivery • establish capacity to deliver Business and Financial Plan • establish effective performance and risk management • create a database of 10, 000 business

How to get involved in SEMLEP………. There are several ways you can get involved: by attending events such as the BIG conference; becoming a member of the Business Engagement Group, other Advisory Groups, Showcase Sector work groups; hosting a Board meeting at your business; providing a visit to your business for the SEMLEP Board; providing news and other material for the SEMLEP website and monthly updates; contributing to online discussions through linkedin , twitter and facebook.

Getting in touch Find the business plan on our website www. southeastmidlands. org. uk T: 01234 436100 E: info@semlep. com