How Local Industrial Strategies are helping shape the UK’s economic recovery

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to show how Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) approached the development of their Local Industrial Strategies (LIS) and what determined the local priorities and concepts that underpin them. It presents a detailed insight into the processes involved, and demonstrates how the unique partnership of LEPs, a combination of business, local government, academia and the third sector, generated local engagement and buy-in from all areas of the community. Since the paper was written, LEPs have started to capitalise on the work of their LIS in the community and are working to adapt LIS to Local Industrial Recovery Strategies (LIRS) as we move on from the impact of coronavirus and seek to rebuild our local economies. As with the original LIS process set out below, this will involve extensive collaboration with our Business Representative Organisations, Local Authorities, Higher and Further Education sectors, and the nine mayors from the combined authorities to help invest in and build local areas for the future.