Full steam ahead to make the Humber number one

The work of our business-led boards and forums created to look at skills and employment, investment, marketing and SME support is starting to bear fruit via the connections they have made and their input into plans and strategies the Humber LEP has led on.

The first 12 projects from our £30m Growing the Humber fund, are now contracted, drawing down £2.2m in grants, leverages £8m of investment, creating 158 jobs in the region. Dozens more are going into contract over the next few months, with support from the accountable body – North East Lincolnshire Council – and other Humber local authorities.

We are working towards the Humber LEP’s vision for the Humber to become a national and international centre for energy – while also focussing on the ports and logistics, chemicals, food, digital, engineering and visitor economy sectors – capitalising on our natural assets, existing expertise and potential for development.

In the past two months we have been able to congratulate Hull being named City of Culture 2017 making a big difference to how people perceive the area.

In addition, we have pushed for and seen confidence created in offshore wind industry by strike prices confirmed in the government’s Autumn Statement, as well as flexibilities and support granted by signing of the landmark Hull and Humber City Deal and planning permission granted for the 4,000-job Able Marine Energy Park, which could see the transformation of our capacity to supply the needs of the offshore wind sector.

In our continued efforts to support further developments around the estuary, we are in the final stages of negotiations with government to increase the coverage of our “assisted areas” that will provide further benefits to businesses that are located in those areas, and therefore attract new investment.

But it is through our City Deal – negotiated and signed in December 2013 – that we have gained some significant tools to support economic growth in the offshore wind and green energy sectors and subsequent bid for a Growth Deal that will change how we function.

Our programmes in skills, business support and accelerating development will go a long way towards making our area more competitive for inward investment.

We will build on the recommendations of our Skills Commission with partners to tackle the skills gap through programmes for youth unemployment, 1,500 additional places for training linked to renewables and develop a careers hub and a national pilot of a payment by results programme to incentivise training providers to help people into work.

While the LEP’s business Growth Hub will provide additional advisers and bring together a comprehensive source of business support activities, information and advice, identified by businesses as being needed.

With our Humber Spatial Plan and a mitigation/compensation plan creating a Humber Environmental Data Observatory we are aiming to reduce the time it takes – making it more cost effective – for businesses to invest in the region to help accelerate the sustainable development of key growth sites on the Humber Estuary.

Alongside all this all LEPs have the chance to negotiate further flexibilities through the Growth Deal. A key element of the deal is to refresh our economic vision for the Humber and we have drafted a seven-year Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) which has taken in contributions from a cross section of businesses and organisations building on previous thoughts gathered as part of our ‘Lifting the Lid’ skills report and our strategy for our European spend and our ‘Plan for the Humber’.

We want to make sure our SEP captures the big things that can make a difference to the Humber over the next seven years.

The momentum created in 2013 will increase further with much to deliver in 2014. Businesses interested in getting involved can contact us via [email protected] and 01482 485260.

The visionary journey

May 2011 –Humber LEP Proposal to Government

October 2012 – Humber Plan

January 2013 – Hull & Humber City Deal Expression of Interest

June 2013 – ‘Lifting the Lid’, Humber LEP Skills Commission

November 2013 – Humber Competitiveness Review, University of Hull

December 2013 – Strategic Economic Plan and Investment Plan (draft)

December 2013 – Hull & Humber City Deal signed

January 2014 – European Structural & Investment Funds Strategy finalised

March 2014 – Strategic Economic Plan and Investment Plan finalised

July 2014 – Growth Deal concludes