West Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership

West Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership
Name	West Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership
Formation	2011
Type	Local enterprise partnership
Region served	West Midlands
Headquarters	Birmingham

Contents

West Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership.

The West Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership was established in 2011 to coordinate economic development across the West Midlands metropolitan area, working alongside local authorities such as Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. It engaged with national bodies including HM Treasury, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Transport and agencies like Innovate UK and UK Trade & Investment while liaising with regional institutions such as HS2 Ltd, Transport for West Midlands and WMCA.

Background and Formation

The partnership formed in the wake of reforms that followed the 2010 coalition, alongside contemporaries such as the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, drawing on precedents like the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative and recommendations from reviews linked to Michael Heseltine. Founding stakeholders included civic leaders from Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, business figures from Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce Holdings, National Express Group, representatives from universities such as University of Birmingham, Aston University, University of Warwick and trade bodies including the Confederation of British Industry and the Federation of Small Businesses. Early policy formation referenced national strategies such as the Industrial Strategy White Paper (2017), regional plans like the Black Country Core Strategy and infrastructure programmes exemplified by High Speed 2.

Governance arrangements mirrored models used by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Tees Valley Combined Authority, featuring a board composed of private-sector chairs, council leaders from Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council and Herefordshire Council (unitary authority), senior executives from corporations including Aston Martin, representatives from higher education such as Coventry University and non-executive directors drawn from organisations like Barclays and HSBC. Committees covered domains comparable to those overseen by Network Rail and Cadent Gas, including transport strategy aligned with Transport for West Midlands, skills and employment linked to Creative and Cultural Skills, and innovation programmes coordinated with Research England and Catapult centres.

Strategic priorities emphasized priorities present in documents like the National Infrastructure Plan (2010) and initiatives led by Local Government Association, focusing on sectoral strengths represented by Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Aerospace Technology Institute interests associated with Rolls-Royce Holdings, automotive clusters around Jaguar Land Rover, and life sciences networks linked to University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. Plans targeted transport interventions on corridors used by West Coast Main Line, freight improvements involving Severn Trent, skills pipelines collaborating with City of Wolverhampton College and BMet, and digital agenda items resonant with BT Group and Vodafone projects.

The partnership supported major projects comparable to those delivered by Crossrail, such as local regeneration schemes in Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, enterprise zones akin to Enterprise Zone (UK), and employment initiatives reflecting models from London Enterprise Panel. Key investments included support for growth at sites linked to Birmingham Airport, logistics development near Stoke-on-Trent railway station, and innovation districts partnering with Warwick Manufacturing Group and Mercia Innovation Campus. Economic impact assessments referenced metrics used by Office for National Statistics and studies from think tanks like Institute for Fiscal Studies and Centre for Cities to quantify job creation, private sector leverage, and productivity changes across areas such as Solihull and Wolverhampton.

Funding streams combined mechanisms seen in programmes by UK Shared Prosperity Fund, European Regional Development Fund projects administered with partners like Local Enterprise Partnership (other), and capital allocations negotiated with Homes England and British Business Bank. Collaborative partners included national corporations such as Siemens and Balfour Beatty, educational partners like University of Warwick Science Park, workforce intermediaries exemplified by National Careers Service, and sectoral organisations such as Logistics UK and Make UK.

Criticism mirrored controversies faced by other LEPs including governance concerns raised in reports by National Audit Office, allegations of opaque decision-making highlighted in local coverage by the Birmingham Post, disputes over funding allocations similar to those seen with the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, and tensions with city councils comparable to disagreements involving the Liverpool City Region. Debates involved accountability frameworks tied to Localism Act 2011 interpretations, procurement practices scrutinised in panels influenced by Public Accounts Committee precedents, and stakeholder representation issues debated alongside organisations such as the Trades Union Congress and Federation of Small Businesses.

Category:Organisations based in the West Midlands (county)