Business call for new Kent and Essex economic powerhouse
8 September 2010
Businesses have called for a joint Kent and Greater Essex Local
Enterprise Partnership (LEP). If successful, the joint proposal
could lead to the creation of the largest LEP in England, which
working in partnership, will support the business community,
attract investment and create jobs.
Bringing together the best in businesses and local government
across both counties, the LEP will promote economic growth and
tackle the economic issues that matter most to businesses and
residents, including skills, housing, tourism, transport and
infrastructure.
With businesses and local authorities working together, the Kent
and Greater Essex LEP will drive forward prosperity by creating the
right environment for growth. It will harness the huge
opportunities presented to both counties including:
- New development in the Thames Gateway which has the potential
to create an additional 113,000 jobs in North Kent and South Essex
over the next 20 years
- Kent & Essex’s internationally-important transport
infrastructure, including support for a third Thames Crossing.
- The continuing growth of international sea port trade through
established world class assets in both
counties.
- The development of the road network linking the sea and
airports to London, the rest of the UK and Ireland.
- Regeneration and renewal in our coastal
towns∙
- The potential of offshore renewable energy.
The joint proposal for a Kent and Greater Essex LEP was
submitted to Ministers yesterday evening, and with Government
approval, will be fully implemented on 1 April 2011.
Sir Mike Hodgkinson, Chairman of the Essex Business Consortium,
said:
"This LEP constitutes a powerful partnership between business
and local authorities. It will shape economic thinking and
encourage investment across the Kent and Greater Essex areas. It is
a very significant innovation and a testament to the ambition of
business and councils to secure economic well-being and prosperity
for Essex, Kent, and the nation."
Geoff Miles, the Chairman of the Kent Economic Board, said:
"We are right behind the Kent and Essex bid and we understand
that through working with Kent and Essex we have a better chance of
competing with the City Regions in the North and North
East to support business expansion, attract investment and
encourage spending in the Growth Areas.
“There is a great opportunity to redress the East-West
prosperity imbalance around London. This partnership can champion
and tackle the area’s key infrastructure investments that are
needed and help kick-start priority projects."
Councillor Peter Martin, Leader of Essex County Council,
said:
“This is a challenging and exciting proposal and means we can
further our common goals and aspirations. Essex and Kent have a
long history of working together; the formation of an LEP would
take this relationship to a new level. Economic growth and
providing the best quality of life for residents is something both
Councils are committed to delivering. The LEP will give us greater
control in order for us to make decisions that will truly link to
what our residents want by devolving funds away from
Whitehall.”
Councillor Paul
Carter, Leader of Kent County Council, said:
"The Kent and Essex LEP gives us a unique opportunity to work
together to build prosperity for the region. Following the
dismantling of the old regional structures we can now create the
best in business and the best in local government to deliver
creative solutions to unlock the potential for substantial external
grants.
“We want this partnership to help build the right environment
for business to flourish and create new employment opportunities.
It will also help us look at how we overcome the obstacles to new
development and to find innovative approaches to private finance
and planning to get the right infrastructure in place to support
this. Our approach will be lean, pragmatic and business-focused to
support the best investment for Kent and Essex."
Kent and Essex have the potential to be economic powerhouses,
with extraordinary economic similarities, economies of scale and
political ambition. With a combined population of 3.4 million and a
business community of nearly 115,000 companies supporting
1.3million jobs, Kent and Essex combined are bigger than 13
European countries, contributing £55billion to the national economy
every year.
The Kent and Essex LEP vision will connect decision making
between the two counties and focus attention on areas of national
importance while addressing specific issues and priorities across
the area.
Recognising the squeeze on public funds, it will develop new,
innovative and creative solutions to help fund and support the
essentially-needed infrastructure development particularly
transport.
The partnership will also work with Government to support:
- the expansion of air services at Manston and Southend to
provide greater aviation capacity in the Greater South East and
support regeneration
- the creation of a more streamlined approach, with real local
leadership, to the development of the Thames Gateway
- powers for the LEP to shape local business incentives through
the business rates systems
- fund a third Thames Crossing
Nor can the Kent and Greater Essex LEP work in isolation from
its neighbours. It will build relationships with LEPs in London,
East Sussex and the East of England to stimulate growth, tackle
common infrastructure needs and form a collective voice in Europe
to amplify calls for investment.
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