Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to consult businesses as part of its review of the activities and objectives of Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are private sector led partnerships that are a key part of the Industrial Strategy, which set out Government’s plan for driving growth and productivity across the country. Government is leading a review to reflect our ambition to strengthen LEPs. This will enable them to prioritise investment in order to bring a strong business voice to local decision-making to drive sustainable private sector-led growth and job creation. This is testament to our belief that business and civic leaders working together can help business to prosper across the country.

Through the review, we will consult extensively with LEPs, who represent the public and private sector, universities, colleges and other key local business organisations to ensure that we collect a wide range of views on how LEPs can support businesses deliver an effective and vibrant economy.