LEPs
The search for the Holy Grail of growth
In an exclusive interview, Lord Heseltine, the longstanding advocate of elected mayors, tells Michael Burton why powerful, devolved local government is essential for delivering the growth agenda.
‘There’s no national growth without local growth’
With an eye on the upcoming Budget and the General Election, Greg Clark outlines why local government must have a prominent place in any plan for UK economic growth.
Why regional policy failed
A report looks at the lessons from in-depth interviews with experts on why UK regional policy has been a failure for 40 years. Ann McGauran reports from a fiery panel discussion on the findings.
Uncertainty hangs over funding for growth projects
Councils have voiced fresh concerns as they remain in the dark over future funding for responsibilities inherited from Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).
Devolution: keeping it local, making it work
The current drive to move things to upper tier authorities in two tier areas runs a real risk of delivering something that is too big to be small and too small to be big, says Trevor Holden.
Collaborative growth engines
Irrespective of the model for delivering the functions of LEPs, transferring responsibility into local government must be about improving effectiveness not just efficiencies, says Tim Pope.
Collaboration is key to harnessing growth
The very function of local government is to be close to the people and communities it serves, says Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen. 'Now is the time for Government to be building upon this instead of building new silos and rekindling the damaging tier debate.'
Making an effective LEP from enterprise partnership to local government
Upper-tier local authorities have the necessary strategic scale and powers to convert any national economic growth ambitions into local action, says Alun Hughes.
Level measures
Localis’s research into the potential for public service integration to underpin the delivery of levelling up in neighbourhoods offers a modern policy route to future reform. Jonathan Werran explains.
Lessons from the Building Better Opportunities programme
Learning the lessons from the Building Better Opportunities programme will be crucial if we’re going to get anywhere near the original aspirations for the UKSPF, says Graham Duxbury.
What councils need are genuine powers at local level
The spring Budget pledged to put local government back at the heart of economic growth, but the Government needs to scrap the pointless competitive bidding for cash and give local authorities fiscal autonomy and certainty, says Heather Jameson.
Transferring LEP functions to upper tier councils goes with the policy grain
The County Councils’ Network will be engaging Government to ensure the transfer of LEPs is compatible with the wider policy direction that believes local democratic institutions are best placed to lead on the growth agenda, says James Maker.
A LEP of faith?
The art of understatement is alive and well at the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Network.
This Budget is much ado about déjà vu
The past decade has seen Budget after Budget pledging to ‘level up’ and ‘devolve down’, but to what end, asks Heather Jameson.
Stepping up in Slough
As Adele Taylor steps into the new role of executive director for finance and commercial at struggling Slough Council, she says she is looking forward to playing her part in stabilising and improving the local authority.
Why wait?
The Budget signals big steps for devolution, but the chancellor could do much for local government finance now, says Charlotte Alldritt.
Economic development is suddenly fashionable
Given the decision to dissolve the Local Enterprise Partnerships framework, one might assume the next logical step would be to make economic development a statutory function of local government, says Nigel Wilcock.
The Budget recognises local leaders are a key growth driver
The chancellor’s Budget is a clear indication that councils are viewed as crucial in leading economic growth, says chair of the County Councils' Network, Tim Oliver.
Budget 2023: LEPs to be scrapped
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are to be effectively abolished within a year, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in the Budget.
LEP directors lobby ministers over risk concern
Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) board directors have raised concerns they could be exposed to personal risks stretching into the future, The MJ understands.
