Category Archives: Local Enterprise Partnership

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27 Nov 2015

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DCC, Local Enterprise Partnership, Paul Diviani, Rural communications, Rural communities

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Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership – in their own words

This is the unelected and unaccountable body that wants to run Devon and Somerset

http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk/

and this is what it wants to do:

“Our ambition is to maximise our area’s assets and inspire innovation and entrepreneurship to create long-term economic growth. We want to see our urban centres fulfil their capacity for growth whilst ensuring that our rural areas flourish through enterprise and improved competitiveness.”

This is their ” vision” for our area:

http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk/current-priorities

This is what it is currently spending our money on:

http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk/current-activities

These are the unelected people running it:

http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk/chief-executive-and-non-executive-directors

including our own Paul Diviani, who will be in charge of housing for Devon and Somerset if this comes off (hope you won’t be needing a Devon and Somerset Local Plan guys) and Andrew Leadbetter (DCC councillor in charge of the rural broadband omnishambles).

Most of their current money (around £65m) has already been pledged to their favoured projects and most of the leg-work of who does what appears to have been pretty much sorted out.

Makes the East Devon Business Forum look like nursery school! Oh look, it has its own Business Forum:

http://www.heartofswlep.co.uk/heart-south-west-business-forum

Time to re-read “Brave New World” and “1984” Owl thinks!

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27 Nov 2015

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Devolution, Local Enterprise Partnership

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Subservience to unelected and unaccountable Local Enterprise Partnership – CEO to be given delegated authority for decision- making

It really is extraordinary. With no public consultation and no meaningful debate EDDC councillors propose that wide powers over the district should be given to the unelected, unrepresentative and unaccountable body that is our “Local Enterprise Partnership”.

Not only that, they propose to delegate authority for this whole process to EDDC’s CEO Mark Williams.

On pages 44-51 of current Cabinet agenda papers:

Click to access 021215-combined-cab-agenda.pdf

is a colourful account of what powers they will be given (Owl’s inverted commas, not being exactly sure what the words mean) over health, “care” and well-being, connectivity and ” resilience”, all of which, according to the brochure will be ” business-led”.

So, forget your district, forget your communities, forget your compassion and help for the old, disabled,vulnerable and very young, forget your elected councillors – and say hello to your politically-led (page 50) yet politically unelected and so far totally unaccountable new masters.

Oh, brave new world that has such people in it.

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26 Nov 2015

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Cranbrook, East Devon Growth Point, EDDC, Local Enterprise Partnership

Aah, so this is what a ” small enterprise town” is – fewer planning rules!

We have to go back all the way to July 2015 for this explanation of ” small enterprise towns”, which Owl thinks shows that the “growth point” and Cranbrook have been in deep trouble for a while. And/or another back-door route for “Local Enterprise Partnerships” to assume control by the back door yet again?

Shall we soon see councils disappear entirely so that LEPs take their place, perhaps? Developers to control planning and housing, unelected and unaccountable LEPs to control everything else?

“In his Summer Budget yesterday, Osborne said the government will be “launching a new round of enterprise zones for smaller towns” across England.

Historically, enterprise zones have introduced relaxed planning rules and economic incentives for businesses to operate in them. A Budget document published alongside the chancellor’s statement says the government will now be inviting bids for a new round of zones.

The document says: “This new round will focus on ensuring that all places in England can benefit, including rural areas where appropriate, and the government encourages towns and districts to work with local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) to develop bids.”

In May, Osborne said he was inviting bids to create new enterprise zones as part of his proposals to boost the northern economy.

Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “Enterprise zones can galvanise government incentives, increase local government commitment to an area, and help businesses set up or expand.

“We therefore support the government announcing a new round of enterprise zones, and agree with its emphasis on LEPs having a role, and that they are seeking to support a broad spectrum of different business areas, whether that be industrial or retail, urban or rural.”

http://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1355372/summer-budget-osborne-calls-small-town-enterprise-zones

We hear in the press that Diviani and Williams were in the House of Commons yesterday:

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Green-light-East-Devon-Sedgemoor-Enterprise-Zone/story-28248291-detail/story.html

Did they have the begging bowls out or were they plotting something more Machiavellian one wonders.