Worcestershire LEP to continue operations

Other Local Enterprise Partnerships across the country might be heading into the sunset, but the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is set to continue operations after support from its board of partners from the business community, higher and further education and local government. 

READ MORE: Goodbye Local Enterprise Partnerships. You were great company

Following the UK Governments decision back in August 2023, that the functions of the LEP were to be transferred to upper tier local authorities, for Worcestershire, this meant the County Council.  Within the guidance issued, if upper tier authorities wished to continue with the current arrangements, they were free to do so. With the backing and support from local partners, the Worcestershire LEP will continue to operate and deliver its 20-year strategy for the county.

Over more than a decade, the LEP has supported Worcestershire’s economy through funding of infrastructure projects such as Worcestershire Parkway Rail Station, dualling of Carrington Bridge, Kidderminster Rail Station improvements, and active travel improvements, including along the A38 in Bromsgrove.

Alongside this, the Worcestershire LEP has engaged with more than 10,000 Worcestershire businesses, via the Worcestershire Growth Hub, to provide support to help those businesses grow. The Worcestershire LEP has directly supported innovation through their national award-winning technology accelerator, BetaDen, attracting in excess of £6 million investment. It is also delivering in the top three nationally, for careers education provision, as recognised by the Careers & Enterprise Company, working with all schools across the county.

Building on these successes Worcestershire LEP now plans to work with all partners to ensure continued delivery of the shared strategy and 2040 vision for Worcestershire.

This message was reinforced with the business community at the Worcestershire LEP’s flagship event “Worcestershire: The BIG Conversation” in late February.

The event, which was delivered in a hybrid format with physical and virtual attendees, saw a combined audience of more than 200. Business leaders, professionals, innovators, and stakeholders from across Worcestershire learned more about the strategy for the county and shared their views with the Worcestershire LEP and partners on priority areas.

Attendees got to hear more about how the county is developing its future workforce, the value of innovation and how we can grow innovation in the county, and finally the business support landscape and what new support is coming to help businesses grow.

As well as hearing updates on delivery, attendees also had the opportunity to vote and engage with the partnership to outline their thoughts on what needed to be prioritised as part of the 20 year strategy for the county.

Paul Walker MBE, Chair of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “It was a pleasure to be able to engage with the Worcestershire community and showcase our strategy at the BIG Conversation. Bringing all stakeholders along with us on this journey is vital and my one key ask of the business community is, continue engaging with the partnership, keep talking to us about the good and the bad to help us better support you.

“Only by working together can we truly drive the county forward and ensure Worcestershire is a connected, creative, dynamic economy for all.”