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| Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership |
| Type | Local enterprise partnership |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Location | Hertfordshire, England |
| Region served | Hertfordshire |
| Leader title | Chair |
Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership is a business-led partnership covering Hertfordshire formed to drive regional growth, skills development and investment across the county. It brings together representatives from Dacorum, East Hertfordshire District Council, North Hertfordshire District Council, Hertsmere, St Albans, Stevenage, Three Rivers District Council, Watford, Welwyn Hatfield and stakeholders from University of Hertfordshire, Oaklands College and private sector organisations such as BP, GlaxoSmithKline and Tesco. The partnership engages with national bodies including Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, HM Treasury, UK Research and Innovation and devolved authorities like Greater Cambridge initiatives.
The partnership operates across a geography bounded by M25 motorway, A1(M), M1 motorway and the boundary with Bedfordshire, coordinating growth corridors such as the Stevenage–Welwyn Garden City–Hatfield innovation cluster and transport hubs around London Luton Airport and St Pancras railway station. It focuses on sectors represented by employers like Rothamsted Research (agri-tech), MBDA (defence), Schneider Electric (energy) and Mott MacDonald (consultancy), aligning with networks including UK Cluster Network and regional science parks such as Harlow Enterprise Zone and Harwell Campus interactions. The board liaises with planning authorities including Hertfordshire County Council and enterprise support bodies like British Business Bank and Federation of Small Businesses.
The board comprises private sector chairs alongside local authority leaders from Hertfordshire County Council and district chief executives, with subcommittees mirroring portfolios seen in organisations such as Local Government Association task forces and Infrastructure and Projects Authority review panels. Executive functions draw on leadership with backgrounds at Institute of Directors, Confederation of British Industry and academic links to University of Hertfordshire Business School. Delivery units coordinate funding rounds in consultation with regulators like Competition and Markets Authority and agencies including Homes England and Environment Agency for resilience planning. Advisory groups convene representatives from National Health Service (England), Network Rail, Highways England and trade unions such as Unite the Union where workforce change impacts occur.
Strategic documents articulate priorities comparable to regional plans such as the Greater London Authority spatial strategies and reference national frameworks like the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. Priorities include supporting innovation clusters around Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, boosting skills through partnerships with City & Guilds and Institute for Apprenticeships pathways, enhancing connectivity via projects tied to East West Rail and improving housing supply in line with National Planning Policy Framework objectives. Sector targets call out advanced manufacturing, life sciences, agri-tech and digital services with alignment to funding streams from Innovate UK and European Investment Bank legacy programmes.
Investment programmes channel capital from pooled sources including regional growth funds historically tied to Local Growth Fund allocations, private capital from firms like Legal & General and matched funding involving Homes England. Projects have ranged from business incubator developments near Stevenage and Hatfield to low-carbon initiatives partnering with ScottishPower and E.ON, and transport interventions coordinated with Thameslink upgrade works and Network Rail improvement schemes. Skills initiatives include apprenticeships with employers such as Tesco and Sainsbury's and sectoral training pilots linked to Royal Air Force presence in the region.
The partnership maintains formal links with neighbouring LEPs and combined authorities such as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, London Councils and Westminster City Council on cross-boundary issues, and collaborates with research institutions including Rothamsted Research, Imperial College London and Cranfield University for research commercialisation. It engages business organisations like Chamber of Commerce, Make UK and Tech Nation to shape policy and connects with cultural organisations such as Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and heritage groups including Hertford Museum to integrate place-making. Stakeholder engagement processes mirror best practice from entities such as National Audit Office guidance on governance.
Performance monitoring utilises metrics comparable to Office for National Statistics regional indicators: jobs created, capital leveraged, skills outcomes and productivity measures against benchmarks from HM Treasury appraisal methods. Annual reports present outcomes alongside external assurance from audit firms and scrutiny by local authorities and parliamentary committees like the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee. Evaluations have referenced independent studies by think tanks such as Centre for Cities and funding impact assessments aligned with Green Book appraisal principles.
Established in 2011 following national policy announcements involving Prime Minister David Cameron's administration and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills reforms, the partnership evolved through funding rounds linked to Local Enterprise Partnerships national programmes and responded to regional shocks including the restructuring of BAE Systems supply chains and changes at GSK facilities. Its development has mirrored broader devolution trends alongside combined authority debates seen in Greater Manchester and Tees Valley Combined Authority developments, adapting priorities through economic cycles and post‑pandemic recovery initiatives.
Category:Economy of Hertfordshire