Local Enterprise Partnerships
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Mr Mark Prisk)
The Minister of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark), the Minister responsible for decentralisation, and I would like to inform the House that today we have written to the proposed Heart of the South-West local enterprise partnerships, covering Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay, inviting them to put their governance arrangements in place.
Local enterprise partnerships see a real power shift away from central Government and quangos and towards local communities and the local businesses who really understand the barriers to growth in their areas. This announcement brings the total number of partnerships so far invited to put their governance arrangements in place to 32. We will continue to work with other areas with a view to establishing further local enterprise partnerships across England.