Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership

Delivering growth and prosperity across Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay.

Business leaders and local authorities in Devon and Somerset have welcomed the news that the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership has been approved by ministers Mark Prisk and Greg Clarke.

The letter thanking the partnership for their submission notes that proposals showed ‘commitment and ambition’. It states that the submission meets the conditions set by the Government for the new partnerships to promote economic development and private sector job growth.

Acting Chair of the Heart of the South West partnership, Jeremy Filmer-Bennett said: “ This is marvellous news and we are very pleased that our proposals have been endorsed. It is testament to the hard work by many people from the business community and public sector in developing these plans.

“After a wide consultation and useful feedback from many quarters, the prospectus reflected our shared ambitions for the two counties  - to create the right economic environment to help our businesses flourish and grow.

“Our priorities are to see more jobs, increased wages and improved productivity - the three key elements to creating a strong and resilient economy. We need to strengthen our employment base and use our collective and numerous assets to overcome some difficult issues, which are made more challenging in this present economic climate.

“By working together, the private sector and public sector are benefiting from joint expertise and shared knowledge, creating a strong and focused alliance. With this partnership we are intent on achieving the best we can for everyone, across Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay.”

Leading figures from the private sector in Torbay have been instrumental in developing the Local Enterprise Partnership for the area. Chair of Torbay Business Forum, Alan Archer, said: “We are very much looking forward to working with our partners in the Heart of the South West to put this area on the map and harness the enormous potential of this excellent location for business.”

Torbay Council Deputy Chief Executive, Caroline Taylor, said: “Torbay is an outstanding location to live, work, visit and invest in; and we need to convey this message to potential investors to generate economic prosperity for the local community. This new private sector led partnership will give us a new platform from which to market our business location on a national and international stage.”

The next steps are to discuss the establishment of a formal board; the steering group that has been working on the formation of the partnership will be meeting tomorrow. Further dialogue is expected with the government as the partnership evolves.

Heart of the South West is now one of 31 partnerships created since the Government’s Local Growth White Paper published in October 2010.

A copy of the draft prospectus is available (see Downloadable Documents).

Feedback and endorsement of the proposed prospectus closed on 25 February 2011. The prospectus is now being finalised for submission to Government in early March.

For further information visit the page.