LEPs: news at the dawn of 2011
Hampshire & Surrey
The Enterprise M3 partners, whose initial bid was rejected by ministers on the grounds that it lacked the scale to make an impact, have expanded their plans to include the northern, rural parts of Test Valley, Winchester, East Hampshire, Basingstoke & Deane, Hart, Woking, Buildford and Waverley. This proposal would mean splitting Surrey with the Coast to Capital LEP whose bid has already given the go-ahead by minsters.
Surrey county council, however, has decided to proceed with a bid based on the county boundary which would “reflect the complicated inter-relations across the sub-region,” according to county council leader Andrew Povey.
Hull & East Riding
The east Yorkshire councils have expressed their determination to move towards an LEP covering north Humberside, in the face of a rival proposal from North Lincolnshire county council which would cover both sides of the river.
Hull city council leader Carl Minns said, “Why should we wait around for government to rubber stamp our arrangements? That’s not localism.”
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire county council has similarly decided to ignore ministers’ concerns and develop its proposal for an LEP based on the county boundary, despite the fact that all save one (East Northamptonshire) of its district councils have already signed up to either the South East Midlands LEP or the Greater Cambridgeshire LEP.
A report to the county council asserted that this approach was consistent with the localism agenda.
