South East LEP

South East LEP
Name	South East LEP
Formation	2011
Region	South East England
Headquarters	Brighton
Leader title	Chair

South East LEP

The South East LEP is a regional economic partnership formed to coordinate investment, regeneration and business growth across parts of East Sussex, West Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Hampshire, Kent, and adjacent areas of Surrey and Eastbourne. It brings together civic leaders, private-sector executives and sector bodies from cities, towns and ports to align infrastructure, skills and innovation programmes with national initiatives such as the Industrial Strategy and regional schemes linked to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

History

The partnership emerged amid the 2010s wave of local institutional reform following the Localism Act 2011 and the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition emphasis on devolved growth agencies. Early governance built on relationships formed by authorities involved in the Coast to Capital LEP and the Enterprise M3 LEP while drawing on experience from bodies such as the South East England Development Agency and the Regional Development Agencies (England). Milestones include the submission of strategic economic statements to the Local Growth Fund and successful bids tied to rounds of the Growth Deal and the City Deals programme. The LEP navigated reconfigurations occasioned by post-2015 austerity policies, the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, and subsequent shifts in UK regional funding frameworks.

Geography and Membership

The partnership covers a heterogenous geography spanning coastal hubs like Brighton, Portsmouth, and Hastings; market towns such as Chichester, Lewes, and Rye; and transport corridors linking Gatwick Airport, Port of Southampton, and the Channel Tunnel approaches. Membership includes unitary authorities, county councils, combined authorities, and business organisations drawn from chambers such as the Federation of Small Businesses, nationwide trade groups like the Confederation of British Industry, and local university partners including University of Sussex, University of Portsmouth, University of Kent, University of Chichester, and Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Major private-sector anchors represented in board structures have included executives from firms with operations tied to Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Gatwick Airport Limited, EDF Energy, Southern Water, and international logistics firms using the Port of Dover and regional rail operators such as Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway).

Governance and Administration

The LEP operates through a board composed of private-sector chairs, local authority appointees, and representatives from higher education and skills providers. Its governance drew on precedents from the Local Enterprise Partnerships network and was influenced by national guidance from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with accountability measures referencing the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee. Administrative functions include an executive director, programme managers, and theme leads for sectors such as advanced manufacturing, digital creative industries, and marine technology, collaborating with local enterprise agencies and business improvement districts like those in Brighton and Guildford.

Strategic Objectives and Priorities

Priority areas have historically included transport and connectivity upgrades involving rail links to London Victoria, road improvements on the A27 and M27, skills and apprenticeships programmes aligned with Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education standards, digital infrastructure rollouts tied to national broadband initiatives, and support for innovation clusters around marine engineering, life sciences, and creative media. The LEP’s strategies reference regional targets in productivity, jobs, and export growth, coordinating with sector bodies such as Make UK, TechUK, and the Creative Industries Federation while liaising with research partners in initiatives akin to the Catapult Centres network.

Major Projects and Investments

Notable interventions have included capital allocations for port and airport access works, town centre regeneration schemes involving heritage assets in Rye and Arundel, business incubator and innovation centre development near university campuses, and brownfield redevelopment linked to housing and employment-led regeneration. Projects often intersect with national transport projects such as improvements funded through the National Productivity Investment Fund and local delivery of programmes associated with Levelling Up Fund rounds and the Getting Building Fund.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams include Local Growth Fund allocations, Growth Deal tranches, competitive bids to the European Regional Development Fund prior to the post-Brexit transition, matched investment from local authorities and private co-investors, and partnerships with charitable foundations and sector bodies. The LEP has collaborated with combined authorities, city councils, port operators like Associated British Ports, airports operators such as Gatwick Airport Limited, research councils including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and business organisations like British Chambers of Commerce.

Performance and Impact

Evaluations of the LEP’s impact have examined job creation, leverage of private investment, improvements in transport capacity, and skills outcomes measured against targets similar to those used by the National Audit Office and independent evaluators. Successes cited include leveraged capital investment in strategic sites, strengthened university–industry links, and delivery of apprenticeships working with bodies such as the Skills Funding Agency. Critiques have focused on governance transparency and the challenges of coordinating across diverse local authorities during funding realignment post-2016 and in the context of national policy shifts led by the Cabinet Office and the Treasury.

Category:Local enterprise partnerships