Post by nickd on Mar 5, 2011 14:30:21 GMT 1
Ben Bradshaw - Labour MP for Exeter gave his view of Local Enterprise Partnerships in a House of Commons debate on the 10th November last year. He appears to suggest that the partnerships are politically motivated; Exeter not being in the plans. Newton Abbot Conservative agrees that Local Enterprise Partnerships should not be subject to politcial divides.... Here's what they say in debate..
Anne-Marie Morris (Newton Abbot, Conservative)
I am delighted that the right hon. Gentleman has given this debate an airing, because it is crucial that we have LEPs in the south-west. Would he agree with me that, in the vein of what he has just said, we should put political divides aside and move forward and get an LEP for Devon, and I suspect for Somerset, as quickly as possible? I believe the business community is now absolutely behind it.
Ben Bradshaw (Exeter, Labour)The hon. Lady is right; the business community is behind it. The point I was trying to make is that this is not about putting political differences aside, because the four local authorities involved are all Conservative-controlled. They do not-or should not-have political differences but they have been completely incapable of working together on a sensible local economic partnership for our region. I hope we can see them make swift progress toward doing so now. If they will not do it, I want the Minister to tell the local authorities to get out of the way and leave the field clear for the business community, which, as the hon. Lady rightly says, is keen to make progress, so it can put in a bid. Will the Minister confirm, on that basis, that the business community is entitled to come forward with a bid-that it is perfectly possible for it to bypass the fractious local authorities? Will he assure the business community and me today that the Government would look favourably on such a bid? Will he also reaffirm the instruction of the Minister with responsibility for decentralisation: that it is essential that Exeter, which is so important for our region's future prosperity, be included at the table? If I were the Minister here today, I would be hopping mad at Devon's deliberate and calculated rebuff to his colleague's instruction that Exeter should be included in the process.
As the head of Britain's leading business organisation, the CBI, said recently, this process has been a shambles. We now know that the Minister's own colleague, the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Mr Prisk, warned the Business Secretary in a letter of 14 September that the Government's local economic partnerships were in danger of failing. I quote from his letter:
"There is a strong view amongst the business community that many LEPs lack the ambition to make significant economic impact undermining our agenda for growth. Key messages I have been made aware of include: a lack of credible business representation on LEPs Boards; negotiations dominated by local politics and a lack of a clear focus on economic growth. They also report different messages coming from Government about LEPs. John Cridland [of the CBI] specifically was concerned that the process has not been transparent, business engagement was poor overall and exacerbated by a tight timescale. He and other senior business leaders from Tesco and Ford have expressed their concern that in their view the policy is in danger of failing to aid economic growth."
That is exactly what the Labour party warned would happen if the Government went ahead and abolished RDAs. The public and businesses of Devon and most of the south-west have been badly let down by the Government, and the Minister and the Government need to get a grip before it is too late.
There is no doubt that Local Enterprise Partnerships will have a profound effect on what happens to funding voluntary organisations, until this 'shambles' is sorted, advice agencies should be assured their funding remains as it is.
See www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2010-11-10b.99.0
Anne-Marie Morris (Newton Abbot, Conservative)
I am delighted that the right hon. Gentleman has given this debate an airing, because it is crucial that we have LEPs in the south-west. Would he agree with me that, in the vein of what he has just said, we should put political divides aside and move forward and get an LEP for Devon, and I suspect for Somerset, as quickly as possible? I believe the business community is now absolutely behind it.
Ben Bradshaw (Exeter, Labour)The hon. Lady is right; the business community is behind it. The point I was trying to make is that this is not about putting political differences aside, because the four local authorities involved are all Conservative-controlled. They do not-or should not-have political differences but they have been completely incapable of working together on a sensible local economic partnership for our region. I hope we can see them make swift progress toward doing so now. If they will not do it, I want the Minister to tell the local authorities to get out of the way and leave the field clear for the business community, which, as the hon. Lady rightly says, is keen to make progress, so it can put in a bid. Will the Minister confirm, on that basis, that the business community is entitled to come forward with a bid-that it is perfectly possible for it to bypass the fractious local authorities? Will he assure the business community and me today that the Government would look favourably on such a bid? Will he also reaffirm the instruction of the Minister with responsibility for decentralisation: that it is essential that Exeter, which is so important for our region's future prosperity, be included at the table? If I were the Minister here today, I would be hopping mad at Devon's deliberate and calculated rebuff to his colleague's instruction that Exeter should be included in the process.
As the head of Britain's leading business organisation, the CBI, said recently, this process has been a shambles. We now know that the Minister's own colleague, the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Mr Prisk, warned the Business Secretary in a letter of 14 September that the Government's local economic partnerships were in danger of failing. I quote from his letter:
"There is a strong view amongst the business community that many LEPs lack the ambition to make significant economic impact undermining our agenda for growth. Key messages I have been made aware of include: a lack of credible business representation on LEPs Boards; negotiations dominated by local politics and a lack of a clear focus on economic growth. They also report different messages coming from Government about LEPs. John Cridland [of the CBI] specifically was concerned that the process has not been transparent, business engagement was poor overall and exacerbated by a tight timescale. He and other senior business leaders from Tesco and Ford have expressed their concern that in their view the policy is in danger of failing to aid economic growth."
That is exactly what the Labour party warned would happen if the Government went ahead and abolished RDAs. The public and businesses of Devon and most of the south-west have been badly let down by the Government, and the Minister and the Government need to get a grip before it is too late.
There is no doubt that Local Enterprise Partnerships will have a profound effect on what happens to funding voluntary organisations, until this 'shambles' is sorted, advice agencies should be assured their funding remains as it is.
See www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2010-11-10b.99.0