Yorkshire enterprise body gets corporate backing

A group of business representatives is arguing that Yorkshire needs a voice of its own as the Government prepares to claw back decision-making powers to Whitehall.

The coalition is scrapping regional development agencies such as Yorkshire Forward and has invited local authority and business leaders to set up local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) while shifting key roles including inward investment, innovation and access to finance to London.

The group, led by businessman Barry Dodd, said there is "significant concern" that Yorkshire will be less able to stimulate business growth, create jobs and attract investment following the shake-up.

It is working on draft proposals to create a community interest company (CIC) and has enlisted the help of firms including Irwin Mitchell, the lawyers, Grant Thornton, the accountants, and Arup, the engineering consultancy.

Others involved with the group include the CBI, the IoD, the EEF manufacturers' organisation, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Yorkshire & Humber Chambers of Commerce and York University.

A draft document produced for the group said the CIC was "not a successor to the RDA, but a fresh approach fully consistent with government policy tasked with maximising the economic potential of the Yorkshire brand and leading big ticket competitiveness projects of a remit and scale beyond the LEPs".

The document said the CIC would be "focused directly on the business competitiveness agenda", adding that "it is only if businesses are growing that jobs will be created and tax revenues rebuilt".

Core functions would include promotion, innovation, finance, intelligence and infrastructure, which the group argues are best performed at a Yorkshire-wide level, working in tandem with LEPs.

On promotion, the CIC would combine tourism and inward investment activities to get the best out of the internationally famous Yorkshire brand.

Regarding innovation, the group said scale and capacity are "critically important" and has tasked university chiefs and business leaders to look at how to build on Yorkshire's strengths by focusing on what cannot be achieved in London.

On finance, the CIC would assume responsibility for the new 90m Finance Yorkshire venture capital and loan fund and other funds and, in theory, make better informed investment decisions than a London-based fund manager.

Regarding intelligence, the CIC would try to build on the work of Yorkshire Forward's economists and use pooled resources from the LEPs to avoid duplication and get better value for money in using economic intelligence for future planning and bidding.

On infrastructure, the group said Yorkshire's energy, transport and digital networks should stimulate rather than constrain business growth and it would lobby loudly for investment priorities.

The group discussed the document last weekend. A note sent to members afterwards said proposed core functions were interlinked and "all impact upon business competitiveness of Yorkshire and would provide a helicopter view of the region and its priorities in the coming years".

SUPPORT FLOWS IN FOR CAMPAIGN

Barry Dodd, who is the chief executive of Wetherby-based GSM Group and a board member at Yorkshire Forward, said he had been inundated with offers of support since news emerged of the campaign.

"There has been an awful lot of positive comment from business," he added.

Kevin Cunningham, head of corporate law at Irwin Mitchell in Yorkshire, said: "I think it is a good idea in that the LEPs will be very important but Yorkshire needs a wide perspective with certain functions."

The draft document will be revised before being sent to a large professional services firm to produce a final version to present to Government and LEP leaders.

The Yorkshire Post is campaigning for a Yorkshire-wide body that champions the cause of Yorkshire and fights for new investment.