Talk:Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership

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Potential sources to improve this article[edit]

^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4] ^[5] — Grand'mere Eugene (talk) 20:26, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This too. Cordless Larry (talk) 21:02, 25 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

^ "Helping firms during energy cost crisis". Express and Star. 24 Mar 2023. p. 15. ProQuest 2789931224. Senior leaders from manufacturing firms in the Black Country have launched urgent and ongoing efforts to mitigate the impact of the energy cost crisis for businesses: The Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership and West Midlands Industrial Energy Taskforce brought the manufacturing and energy sectors together to discuss the continuing crisis. The event in West Bromwich on Tuesday came after the Government extended support for household energy bills for a further three months. Support for industry is much less generous, and recent surveys by the Black Country Chamber of Commerce suggest around 14 per cent of Black Country businesses are now trapped in excessive energy contracts that put the viability of their business at risk. Many face a cliff edge when Government support for commercial electricity bills is cut by 94 per cent in April. Across the wider West Midlands, up to 70,000 jobs are threatened. The event at the National Metalforming Centre, included a mayoral summit on emergency short term actions, led by West Midlands mayor Andy Street, and the launch of a national Centre for Manufacturing Transition led by Repowering the Black Country on behalf of the Black Country LEP.
^ "WMCA to continue to support business growth in West Midlands following the closure of LEPs". M2 Presswire; Coventry. 4 April 2023. ProQuest 2794524592. Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership and Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEPs) have now both officially closed their services with operations moving over to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The moves comes after the Government's announcement in last year's Levelling-Up White Paper that all 38 LEPs in England were to integrate into their local democratic institutions. The WMCA will now oversee all work previously done by these LEPs, including determining local economic priorities, undertaking activities to drive economic growth and job creation, improving infrastructure, and raising workforce skills within the local area. As it stands, Birmingham and Solihull LEP will continue to operate until the end of the year meaning businesses can still access their Growth Hub as usual. Laura Shoaf, chief executive of the WMCA, said: 'I would like to thank both Black Country and Coventry LEP's for all their hard work over the years in uniting businesses, organisations and individuals across the region to drive growth and create opportunities. 'Both LEPs have been successful in bringing millions of pounds of Government investment to support the West Midlasnds, enabling key infrastructure projects to become a reality and making a real difference to our region's economy.'
^ "New support network will help businesses survive and thrive: Mayor Andy Street explains how the combined d authority has taken on the lead role in supporting business growth". Express and Star. 10 April 2023. p. 6. ProQuest 2798535843. In response to that Government recommendation, The Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has taken the sad decision to close. "As a former chair of a local enterprise partnership, I know firsthand the value that LEPs provide and the outcomes they can deliver for firms large and small looking to grow and thrive. "The Black Country LEP in particular was crucial in helping to begin to transform the Black Country thanks to their part in securing the Dudley Institute of Technology, the revamp of Junction 10 of the M6, and the growth of i9 in Wolverhampton - as well as supporting countless other projects and businesses across the region. This level of support would not have been possible without the leadership of the LEP's two former chairs - Stewart Towe and Tom Westley - and the dedicated, hard working staff and private board members who did all they could for the Black Country. "Helping businesses to develop is critical to the success of the West Midlands - both in creating jobs and driving economic growth. The Black Country alone has phenomenal businesses employing over 460,000 people and contributing billions of pounds to the region's economy. "We therefore cannot allow the hard work and success of the Black Country and other LEPs across the region to be lost, which is why in their place we have launched our new service - Business Growth West Midlands. "All of the helpful things that LEPs did, we will continue to do with Business Growth West Midlands."
^ Corser, John (28 June 2023). "Consortium made region wealthier over quarter of a century". Express and Star. p. 24. ProQuest 2830030781. Since 2012 the Black Country Consortium hosted the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, and using the LEP as a conduit the consortium invested £430 million of LEP-awarded funding to help develop the Black Country economy. Tom Westley, chairman of the Black Country LEP board, said: "Now more than ever is the time for the region and the Midlands to unite all the key players and continue the focus on economic development in the widest sense. Ongoing weakness and uncertainty in the global economy, the changed political environment and continuing demands on shrinking public resources, combine to make this a challenging period for economic development. Sarah Middleton and her team have tackled these challenges, in a professional and exemplary manner, meaning that the Black Country Consortium and BCLEP leave behind a strong and robust legacy."
^ "City's digital strategy boosted by £250". Express and Star. 12 July 2023. p. 14. A £250,273 investment fund has been secured to support and futureproof Wolverhampton's growing digital infrastructure, which includes the ongoing implementation of full fibre broadband and rollout of 5G. The allocation of Gainshare funding was originally managed by the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which ceased to exist on March 31 this year with responsibility moving to Walsall Council as accountable body. It is proposed that current and future Gainshare receipts are split equally between the four Black Country local authorities subject to a collaboration agreement. Each local authority will receive the same sum of £250,273.

[1] "Helping firms during energy cost crisis". Express and Star. 24 Mar 2023. p. 15. ProQuest 2789931224. Senior leaders from manufacturing firms in the Black Country have launched urgent and ongoing efforts to mitigate the impact of the energy cost crisis for businesses: The Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership and West Midlands Industrial Energy Taskforce brought the manufacturing and energy sectors together to discuss the continuing crisis. The event in West Bromwich on Tuesday came after the Government extended support for household energy bills for a further three months. Support for industry is much less generous, and recent surveys by the Black Country Chamber of Commerce suggest around 14 per cent of Black Country businesses are now trapped in excessive energy contracts that put the viability of their business at risk. Many face a cliff edge when Government support for commercial electricity bills is cut by 94 per cent in April. Across the wider West Midlands, up to 70,000 jobs are threatened. The event at the National Metalforming Centre, included a mayoral summit on emergency short term actions, led by West Midlands mayor Andy Street, and the launch of a national Centre for Manufacturing Transition led by Repowering the Black Country on behalf of the Black Country LEP.

[2] "WMCA to continue to support business growth in West Midlands following the closure of LEPs". M2 Presswire; Coventry. 4 April 2023. ProQuest 2794524592. Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership and Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEPs) have now both officially closed their services with operations moving over to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The moves comes after the Government's announcement in last year's Levelling-Up White Paper that all 38 LEPs in England were to integrate into their local democratic institutions. The WMCA will now oversee all work previously done by these LEPs, including determining local economic priorities, undertaking activities to drive economic growth and job creation, improving infrastructure, and raising workforce skills within the local area. As it stands, Birmingham and Solihull LEP will continue to operate until the end of the year meaning businesses can still access their Growth Hub as usual. Laura Shoaf, chief executive of the WMCA, said: 'I would like to thank both Black Country and Coventry LEP's for all their hard work over the years in uniting businesses, organisations and individuals across the region to drive growth and create opportunities. 'Both LEPs have been successful in bringing millions of pounds of Government investment to support the West Midlasnds, enabling key infrastructure projects to become a reality and making a real difference to our region's economy.'

[3] "New support network will help businesses survive and thrive: Mayor Andy Street explains how the combined d authority has taken on the lead role in supporting business growth". Express and Star. 10 April 2023. p. 6. ProQuest 2798535843. In response to that Government recommendation, The Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has taken the sad decision to close. "As a former chair of a local enterprise partnership, I know firsthand the value that LEPs provide and the outcomes they can deliver for firms large and small looking to grow and thrive. "The Black Country LEP in particular was crucial in helping to begin to transform the Black Country thanks to their part in securing the Dudley Institute of Technology, the revamp of Junction 10 of the M6, and the growth of i9 in Wolverhampton - as well as supporting countless other projects and businesses across the region. This level of support would not have been possible without the leadership of the LEP's two former chairs - Stewart Towe and Tom Westley - and the dedicated, hard working staff and private board members who did all they could for the Black Country. "Helping businesses to develop is critical to the success of the West Midlands - both in creating jobs and driving economic growth. The Black Country alone has phenomenal businesses employing over 460,000 people and contributing billions of pounds to the region's economy. "We therefore cannot allow the hard work and success of the Black Country and other LEPs across the region to be lost, which is why in their place we have launched our new service - Business Growth West Midlands. "All of the helpful things that LEPs did, we will continue to do with Business Growth West Midlands."

[4] Corser, John (28 June 2023). "Consortium made region wealthier over quarter of a century". Express and Star. p. 24. ProQuest 2830030781. Since 2012 the Black Country Consortium hosted the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, and using the LEP as a conduit the consortium invested £430 million of LEP-awarded funding to help develop the Black Country economy. Tom Westley, chairman of the Black Country LEP board, said: "Now more than ever is the time for the region and the Midlands to unite all the key players and continue the focus on economic development in the widest sense. Ongoing weakness and uncertainty in the global economy, the changed political environment and continuing demands on shrinking public resources, combine to make this a challenging period for economic development. Sarah Middleton and her team have tackled these challenges, in a professional and exemplary manner, meaning that the Black Country Consortium and BCLEP leave behind a strong and robust legacy."

[5] "City's digital strategy boosted by £250". Express and Star. 12 July 2023. p. 14. A £250,273 investment fund has been secured to support and futureproof Wolverhampton's growing digital infrastructure, which includes the ongoing implementation of full fibre broadband and rollout of 5G. The allocation of Gainshare funding was originally managed by the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which ceased to exist on March 31 this year with responsibility moving to Walsall Council as accountable body. It is proposed that current and future Gainshare receipts are split equally between the four Black Country local authorities subject to a collaboration agreement. Each local authority will receive the same sum of £250,273.

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