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Councils are at loggerheads with their neighbours over the formation of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), as September's submission deadline draws near. The Government has proposed LEPs as replacements for regional development agencies, in a bid to ‘give the initiative back to councils and businesses' on how to pursue local economic growth. Local authorities and businesses are in the process of finalising their proposals ahead of the 6 September deadline. In Humberside, North Lincolnshire Council has rejected calls to form a Lincolnshire LEP to replace local RDA, Yorkshire Forward. Instead it wants one LEP which would represent the whole Humber region, while Hull City Council and East Riding Council would prefer their own partnership which would not include the south bank of the Humber. Cllr Mark Kirk, leader of North Lincolnshire Council said: ‘If you ask me, will both banks do better economically if they each go their separate way? I have to say the answer is an emphatic no.' Lancashire CC is pushing for a ‘pan-Lancashire' LEP, while Blackburn and Blackpool want their own respective bodies. County council leader, Geoff Driver, said: ‘The county council believes that smaller LEPs, without the scale or resources required to make the necessary difference, will lead to fragmentation across Lancashire and could see areas missing out on opportunities.' However, businesses and local authorities in Norfolk have agreed to bid for a county-wide LEP. Daniel Cox, leader of Norfolk CC, said: ‘We feel the creation of a local enterprise partnership will help provide strategic leadership to remove the barriers to business growth, and deliver improved economic performance for Norfolk.' The proposed LEP in the Leeds area will draw on the existing city-region partnership arrangements, ‘but will provide for greater collaboration with business'. RDAs will be abolished by April 2012. Also read: Jim Hancock, Former political editor for the BBC in the North West.

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WHITEHALL

Councils clash in lead-up to LEPs

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