Local Enterprise Partnerships: Living up to the Hype?

From when the idea of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) was first floated in the run up to the May 2010 General Election, there has been fervent discussion and steadfast work. This has been amplified by the avowed ‘permissive’ approach of the Coalition Government which, in lay terms can be seen as equating to central government relinquishing control (but not necessarily crucial levers of power). The administration’s intention is to provide local room for manoeuvre by reducing guidance and bureaucracy, helped along with the new incentivised mechanisms. Since Vince Cable and Eric Pickles invited proposals for the establishment of LEPs in June 2010 and the government’s ratification of LEPs from October 2010 onwards, LEPs have been expected to cover a lot of ground in a relatively short space of time. Most LEPs are moving forward to discuss their priorities and developing business plans. As a way of supporting LEPs and facilitating mutual learning, the government is financially supporting a National LEP Network, which is managed by the British Chambers of Commerce. However, LEPs appear to be considerably lacking in both resources and momentum, and are insufficiently embedded within government growth plans and some local public-private-voluntary networks to be able to sufficiently respond to the deepening economic malaise. With this in mind, this Critical Issue examines the different development paths taken by LEPs to date and analyses whether they are living up to the hype and beginning to deliver.