Minister backs Yorkshire bids for local partnerships to drive region's economy

Jonathan Reed Political Editor

THE Government has approved two of the region’s bids for new Local Enterprise Partnerships to be set up when development agency Yorkshire Forward is abolished.

The schemes – one of which is understood to involve the 11 councils in and around Leeds – have been described as “national leaders” by Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles.

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But three other proposals put forward for the region will be told to do more work or drop their plans altogether.

Council and business leaders will jointly run the partnerships, which the coalition Government hopes will be more effective at boosting economies than Labour’s regional development agencies which are being abolished in 2012.

Business leaders are expected to chair the boards of the partnerships, although Ministers have yet to reveal how much – if any – money will be available to them to spend. Money available will be significantly less than the billions spent by regional development agencies.

Ministers have spent the past month poring over more than 50 proposals submitted across the country for Local Enterprise Partnerships, and Mr Pickles revealed about 20 are considered to be up to scratch.

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“There’s some really fantastic schemes have come up,” said Mr Pickles. “Two of them are in Yorkshire and I think they are national leaders – very impressive.”

Mr Pickles did not name which bids have been successful, although the Yorkshire Post understands one was the proposal put forward by Leeds City Region.

In the bid, leaders from an area covering as far afield as Barnsley and York called for more power over strategy, funding, investment, planning and commissioning of economic development and regeneration activities.

A bid from the Sheffield City Region – which includes the four South Yorkshire councils as well as authorities in the northern East Midlands – has also been seen as a strong contender and may be the second bid to impress Mr Pickles.

Comment: Page 10.