GBSLEP Blog: Steve Hollis (May 2014)
Many of you will recall the submission of our Strategic Economic Plan to Government at the end of March.
This plan, or SEP, details to Government our long-term vision to drive economic growth in Greater Birmingham, including our ask for funding and extra powers to deliver this vision.
Our vision is ambitious.
Combining long-term game changing schemes with shovel-ready projects, we focused our SEP unashamedly on the creation of jobs, building on the investments already planned for the region.
A total of 52 priority projects were presented, worth a total of £508m over five years.
These projects are forecast to create 41,000 new jobs by 2022, provide 14,315 new homes and almost 2m sq ft of commercial floorspace across the LEP area, which covers Birmingham, Solihull, Wyre Forest, Redditch, Tamworth, Bromsgrove, East Staffordshire, Lichfield and Cannock Chase.
Inevitably, there were more potential projects than available capital and we are particularly pleased to have seen the broad support for the investment framework we used to prioritise those projects.
This in itself was a big step forward in the evolution of the LEP.
Following the hectic flurry of activity that accompanied this submission, you could be forgiven for thinking things had gone quiet since then.
Since the submission was made, the LEP Executive Team and partners have been working with BIS Local and Government to provide additional information about the projects and, ultimately, we have been working to get the best deal possible for Greater Birmingham.
Inevitably, as ministers and civil servants gather in the corridors of power to sift through the submissions made by every LEP in the country to begin the process of preparing their ‘Growth Deals’, much of the activity is happening behind the scenes.
We are confident the consensus and robust evaluation that we carried out in the lead up to the SEP going in will give confidence to Government that we have what it takes to deliver on our pledges.
While we have yet to have a formal timeframe for the timing of the announcement, we expect to hear from Government before Parliament’s summer recess.
