Enterprise Partnerships in leprechaun land

NEWS that local authorities have banded together on both sides of the Humber to form a “Local Enterprise Partnership” (LEP) adds to the mess which is the Government’s confused and bedraggled regional economic policy.

The words organise and brewery come to mind. Where are local businesses meant to look for support? Here, in Scarborough, we’re in with York and North Yorkshire, but also with Hull and the East Riding.

The East Riding is in with us and the Humber, but may also want a role in York and North Yorkshire (according to the Scaborough, East Yorkshire and Hull outline proposal from last September).

Hull, of course, is also in the Humber LEP – a LEP which some people anticipate being as successful in its efforts as they thought the county of Humberside was – which probably explains why initially there was so little enthusiasm for a LEP covering both sides of the estuary.

Each LEP can submit an Enterprise Zone bid, so of course each one, even with the same members, is submitting its own bids, Hull and Scarborough included, in a competition with themselves.

All that needs adding to this hotch-potch of muddled thinking are some Cottingham fairies and we will have a complete set of leprechauns, which according to legend store all their coins in a hidden pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. That neatly sums up the ConDems’ economic policy.