Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the statutory requirements are for local enterprise partnerships on the transparency of their operations and responsibilities; and what guidance he has issued on those requirements.

Local Enterprise Partnerships are not public bodies – they are independent and voluntary partnerships between local authorities, businesses and other bodies. As such, there are no statutory requirements placed upon them.

Government has, however, set out very clear standards on transparency in the “Local Enterprise Partnerships Assurance Framework”, published in December 2014. Each Local Enterprise Partnership has prepared their own local assurance framework verified by their accountable local authority, setting out how they will operate and take decisions in a way which is consistent with the standards set out in the national assurance framework.