The Heart of the South West local enterprise partnership has been successful in its bid for £170,000 worth of assistance to set it up.
The partnership was one of only a few that were awarded the full amount of the funding by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. This reflects the fact that the Heart of the South West is a new partnership, covering a large area with limited existing infrastructure to support the new venture.
Chair of the partnership, Tim Jones said: “ The Heart of the South West is very pleased that we have been awarded the full amount of our grant towards setting up the Enterprise Partnership. This will enable us to not just hit the ground running, but to gain a significant head start. We will take full advantage and build the foundations necessary for our partnership to thrive and deliver on its objectives. This is a great beginning to our work, and we look forward to achieving our full potential.”
The funding will be used to provide crucial support to help the partnership draw up its business plan to achieve economic growth for Devon, Somerset, Plymouth and Torbay. The intention is to hold a series of roadshows to involve as many people and organisations in the process as possible, enabling it to be a fully inclusive and collaborative affair.
A priority will be setting up a communications system to enable the partnership to communicate effectively with its substantial and varied audience. This ranges across public and private sector including employers and their representative organisations, politicians, industry and the third sector – anyone with an interest in growth and improving economic conditions.
Finally, work will also be done to set up the formal structure of the partnership, including establishing the forum, a body intended to be open to all businesses. This will be an integral element of the partnership, supporting and working with the board to achieve economic prosperity for the area.
For more information on the work of the partnership, visit
www.heartofswlep.co.uk
