Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership’s 2018 AGM has taken place with a series of presentations on the LEP’s activities to date, alongside its future plans focused on the emerging Local Industrial Strategy.
Over 70 business people and public and voluntary and community sector partners attended the event at Cumbria LEP’s Conference & Business Centre near Penrith.
The event was opened by Lord Inglewood, the Chair, who outlined how the LEP was changing to respond to the new expectations that Government was placing on LEPs and how it was changing to meet these.
Following the procedural matters, there was an economic ‘state of the nation’ overview of the county provided by Stephen Nicol of Nicol Economics. Jackie Arnold, MBE, the LEP’s Deputy Chair, then updated attendees on performance to date, including a short video outlining some of the LEP’s recent activity.
The Chief Executive, Jo Lappin, then provided a forward look on the emerging priorities for the Local Industrial Strategy, followed by spotlights on three of the LEP’s future priorities – skills, transport and sectors – delivered by three private sector Board members John Coughlan, Jim Jackson and Nigel Wilkinson.
The event was rounded off with a presentation of the LEP’s income and expenditure report, prior to moving into a question and answer session which allowed the audience to raise any issues with members of the Board.
Cumbria LEP is planning further county-wide consultation events on the new Local Industrial Strategy, which are due to take place on 31 October and 1 November 2018.
Cumbria LEP Chair Lord Inglewood said: “The AGM was very well attended and gave those present the chance to hear first-hand about what the LEP is doing to transform its governance, add strength to private sector representation on the Board, and crucially how our plans for the new Local Industrial Strategy are taking shape. We have already had a lot of positive feedback.
“Cumbria’s economy has the potential to go further, faster. We have embarked on the development of the new strategy and we want it to be a transformational document for the county.
“We also want to be transformational in how we develop it by working closely in partnership. Our aim is to be more collaborative, consultative, communicative and challenging to make sure that we get the best strategy for Cumbria.”
For further information about the work of Cumbria LEP, visit http://www.thecumbrialep.co.uk/
