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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of the 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships submitted local economic plans; and how many and what proportion of these were subsequently approved by his Department.

In March 2014, all Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) submitted Strategic Economic Plans. These plans have been updated from time to time in response to changes in economic circumstances. The Government’s current national local growth assurance framework highlights that LEPs will determine their own specific priorities and develop an evidence-based strategy that identifies local strengths and challenges, future opportunities and the action needed to boost productivity, earning power and competitiveness across their area.

These plans are not specifically approved by Government, although we work with each LEP to identify and develop investment opportunities arising from the strategies, and ensure that any public funding has monitoring and evaluating plans in place. This includes an annual financial statement and a rolling schedule of funded projects.