Delivering Growth - GBS LEP · by the three pillars of business, people and place - we believe these six enablers contain within them the keys to achieving our vision. To ensure that

The Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership Strategy for Growth

Strategic Framework

DeliveringGrowth

Contents

Contents 2Foreword 3Our strategy 4Introduction 6A partnership for growth 9Our Guiding Vision 10Building a strategy for the city region 15Making it happen 17The strategic enablers of growth 211. Growing the number of successful businesses 212. Building on our sector strengths and opportunities 233. Stimulating innovation in products, processes,

services and business structures 264. Improving our skills talent pool 295. Improving physical and digital connectivity 306. Optimising physical, cultural and environmental assets 33

Foreword

As Directors of the GreaterBirmingham & Solihull LocalEnterprise Partnership we are proudto present our Strategy for Growth.

From day one our partnership hasbeen unanimous about the need fora transformational vision, and abold plan to address the challengesand opportunities unique to ourarea. We know that our LEP has thepotential to be the engine ofnational growth, and that our twomillion residents will benefit fromthe prosperity we unlock.

We know historically there has beenno shortage of economic strategies- yet none have fully delivered whatthey have promised. We will deliver.Underpinning our confidence is thefact this strategy that has beenagreed rather than imposed, and isowned by the city region. Workingwith the private sector, localauthorities, third sectororganisations, universities and

colleges we have been able to set astrategy with those who are mostclosely involved in local growth andlocal employment.

As set out in this document, we willnot squander resources byspreading our efforts too thinly. Ourfocus will be on those actions thathave the greatest potential, and cancreate the biggest impacts towardsour fundamental aim – deliveringjobs and growth for the city region.This will mean a clear focus upon:

• Creating the conditions to increase the number of successfulbusinesses

• Growing sectors around latent opportunities, and supporting sectors that underpin employment across the LEP

• Stimulating and supporting innovation

• Improving the skills and talent pool of the LEP to make it business-relevant

• Transforming physical and digital connectivity across the LEP

• Optimising the assets of the LEP area to create world-class place to live and work

What is different about thisstrategy? We believe our journey isthe difference. Our partnership hasdemonstrated unparalleled politicalunity coupled with much greaterprivate sector responsibility to worktogether to address the issues andexploit the opportunities that faceour city region economy. Togetherwe are committed to this journey.

The Greater Birmingham &Solihull Local EnterprisePartnership Board

Delivering Growth 3

4 Delivering Growth

East Staffordshire

Lichfield

Solihull

Bromsgrove

Wyre Forest

Redditch

CannockChase

Tamworth

Birmingham

ExecutiveSummary

Our mission is simple: to create jobs and growthe economy - and in doing so raise the qualityof life for all of the LEP’s population.

Our vision is to re-establish Greater Birmingham's role asthe major driver of the UK economy outside London. This means overcoming the area’s output gap, andestablishing the preconditions for economic leadershipon a worldwide scale.

Our strategy is built from the views and expertise of thearea’s businesses, universities, local authorities, thirdsector organisations and representative groups. It isdesigned to apply focus on those things that mattermost to unlock the jobs and growth the region needs.Working as a partnership, between the private andpublic sector, this means a clear focusupon six strategic enablers.

Optimisingphysical, cultural

and environmentalassets

Improving physical and

digital connectivity

Improving our skills

talent pool

Stimulatinginnovation in

products, services& businesses

Building sectorstrengths andopportunities

Growing thenumber ofsuccessfulbusinesses

Underpinned by our cross cuttingapproach to our economy – whichwe see as being supported jointlyby the three pillars of business,people and place - we believe thesesix enablers contain within them thekeys to achieving our vision. Toensure that we are delivering, andthat progress is transparent, wehave committed to a set ofstretching (yet deliverable) targetsto evidence our progress:

• A net increase of at least 100,000 private sector jobs between 2011 and 2020

• A net increase of at least £8.25bn GVA between 2011 and 2020

• A decrease in unemployment across the LEP to fall in line with at least the national average by 2020

• An increase in GVA per-head across the LEP to meet the national average by 2020, and exceed the national average by 2025

• An increase in the percentage ofthe working-age population withNVQ3+ to be above the Core City LEP average by 2020, and out-perform the national average by 2025

We will rightly be judged by ourability to deliver this ambitiousstrategy. We recognise the need tofurther develop and improve ourdelivery capability, and to do this wewill provide the leadership andbring together the best of thepublic sector and the privatesectors. We will openly publish ourdelivery plans via an online portalwhich will allow anyone access tothe activity underpinning our plans.

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Business People Place

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Introduction

The Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBS LEP)area is home to the UK’s second city, the UK’s largest city centre EnterpriseZone, and many of Britain’s biggest development opportunities including theM42 Economic Gateway: we are an engine of business growth. Our twomillion residents enjoy a balance of high growth-potential urban centres andquality rural and semi-rural surrounds, typified by the E3I Belt, along withworld-class cultural programmes and visitor facilities and areas of OutstandingNatural Beauty.

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We are located at the heart of thecountry’s transport network with oneof the UK’s most strategically placedairports, the ‘new’ New StreetStation due for completion in 2015and a further £2.5bn of investmentin the transport infrastructureunderway. Our unique connectivityby road, rail, and air has been key toattracting over 67,000 businessesranging from start-ups to significantinternational businesses thatinclude GKN, IMI, ModelezInternational, JLR, JCB, MolsonCoors and many more.

We are building on a continuousrich heritage of innovation.Historically we were the founders ofthe industrial revolution and thecodifiers of the modern Englishlanguage. Today we are home tocompanies at the cutting edge ofdigital technologies, life scienceand creative fusion. We producemore graduates in creativedisciplines and have more youngpeople pursuing creativeapprenticeships than anywhere inthe UK outside London; we arehome to one of the strongest

concentrations of social enterprisesand third sector organisationsanywhere in the country; we haveone of the largest conferencing andevents markets in Europe; and theresurgence of the UK’s automotiveindustry has been largely driven byour continued excellence andinnovation in this key sector.

We have the assets, the talent, theheritage, and the pedigree to meetour ambition to create a trulyglobally competitive city region.

LEFT: The CityCentre EnterpriseZone

8 Delivering GrowthABOVE: Baskerville House, home to the Birmingham Business Hub which includes the GBS LEP and its support team

Focussed on delivering growth forone of Britain’s most economicallyimportant city regions, our LEP wasformed to create a dynamicpartnership between regional,political and business leadership.We committed to dare to bedifferent; to invite the world to bepart of our success and to use thebest of the private and public sectorto create a powerful partnershipthat delivers.

Welcomed by the Government astheir body of choice for thecoordination of regional economicgrowth, in the short time we havebeen active significant progress hasbeen achieved. We have:

• Led for the UK – Pilotinginitiatives on major policydevelopments (through theGreater Birmingham Project andCity Deal) and leading on specific

areas such as regulation and theAdvanced Manufacturing SupplyChain Initiative

• Led business and employmentgrowth – creating a Life Scienceaccelerator, Business Supportprogramme, Growing Placesinitiative, AdvancedManufacturing Supply ChainInitiative and City Deal whichhave the potential to bringforward over 50,000 jobs

• Driven skills improvements –with a Skills for Growth Compactwhich will have recruited 25% of businesses in the region towork with colleges and schoolsby 2015

• Changed the way the regionmanages resources – with ‘GBSFinance’ which brings a fundmanagement approach to publicfinance to aggregate recycle andinvest up to £1.5bn

• Accelerated change – creatingthe catalytic Enterprise Zone inBirmingham City centre andpotentially bringing forward over£2.8bn of economic growth

However, in truth we have onlyscratched the surface. Thechallenge remains significant, and our strategy is the mostimportant piece of work we havecompleted to date – the next, farmore important piece, will bedelivering it.

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A partnership for growth

The GBS LEP was formed in June 2011 as one of the UK’s flagship new LocalEnterprise Partnerships. Our partnership covers a Functional Economic Areagenerating £35bn of annual economic activity, which binds Birmingham,Solihull, North Worcestershire and South Staffordshire.

10 Delivering Growth

Our vision is to re-establish Greater Birmingham's role as the major driver of theUK economy outside London; to make our area the natural home for Europe’sinnovators, entrepreneurs and wealth creators. This means closing the percapita output gap with the national average, and simultaneously establishingthe preconditions for economic leadership on a worldwide scale.

We are unashamedly focussed ongrowth, but we know the ultimatepoint of creating jobs and wealth isto improve the lives of all of thepeople who live in our area.

Core Values• Private and public sector is a

powerful combination: which is at the heart of the LEPpartnership; together we canovercome issues which have sofar stymied the region

• Local knows best: we knowbetter than anyone our area’s problems (and how to solvethem), strengths, andopportunities. It’s up to us to make the most of this knowledge.

• Form follows function: we are notprescriptive about models andstructures, we do what is best todeliver the best results for the city region

• Greater than the sum of ourparts: the constituent partners ofour LEP share a commoneconomic geography and byaligning together we are strongerand more innovative

• Delivery is key: translating theregion’s needs, and our vision,into tangible activity on theground is paramount. Deliveryneeds to rapid, cost effective andintegrated

• Partnership with the Government:as the Government’s partner ofchoice for the coordination ofregional economic growth

Our guiding vision

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• Continuous engagement: withregular communication with all ofour stakeholders to consult,update, and inform policy andstrategy

• Working collaboratively with ourneighbours: because beyond ourfunctioning economic geographylies other areas with whom weshare key priorities and need towork together

• Growth needs to be sustainablylead: we will focus on sustainablesolutions for growth across theLEP and champion sustainability

and our considerable naturalassets

• Embracing the third sector: as asignificant partner with thepotential to underpin growthacross a number of our corepriorities

• Transparent and accountabledecision making: with a Boardthat is representative of the area,its political leadership and all itsbusinesses, committed to clearoutcomes and openly publishingdecisions

“Translating theregion’s needs, andour vision, intotangible activity onthe ground isparamount”

LEFT: The Land Rovermanufacturing plant inSolihull



ABOVE: In 2015 the NEC site will see the opening of the UK's first integrated destination leisure complex; Resorts World Birmingham



Building a strategyfor the city region

1. To ensure the complexity andinter-dependency of our economyis understood, and activity iscross-cutting:

At the outset the LEP establisheda framework for all our activity builtaround the existing idea that theeconomy can be divided into threepillars of activity:

• ‘Business’ – i.e. the businessenvironment across our LEP,including the critical issues whichunderpin growth such as;business support, access tofinance, the regulatoryenvironment and inwardinvestment.

• ‘People’ – i.e. the peopleresource within our LEP, includingthe LEP’s talent pool and how it isaligned to business opportunitiesboth now and in the future.

• ‘Place’ – i.e. the sense of placeand infrastructure that underpinsour ambitions, includingconnectivity, the Enterprise Zoneand Enterprise Belt, housing and employment land, planning,environment, cultural assets, and quality of life that create our appeal.

In doing so we made it clear thatsuccess will be dependent on ourability to drive improvements in

each and every one of the threepillars - and priorities will oftentouch all three pillars.

2. To base our decisions around clear evidence and local knowledge:

The GBS LEP evidence base wasbuilt initially in 2011, drawing uponseveral successive and significantpieces of local, regional andnational research into the GBS LEParea. This has since been updatedin 2012 for the Strategy for GrowthWhite Paper, and again in 2013 forthe Greater Birmingham Project. Infact, it is subject to continuousimprovements and is availableonline at www.gbslep.com.

We approached the creation of a regional growthstrategy with three clear principles:


3. To build a strategy for the city-region based on localconsensus about what mattersmost and needs to be addressed

Utilising the best of business,academic and local authorityinsight, our evidence base, and theextensive consultation to support it,has built upon the successes andfailures of the past – and preparedthem for the opportunities andneeds of the future.


Making it happen

Our mantra is to be game changing, and as a Board the GBS LEP will act inthe best interests of our functional economic geography as a whole, andnot any one constituent part thereof.

To make delivery a reality the LEPhas three primary roles:

• Enabler – bringing together existing partners and organisations within the area, and supporting and guiding theiractivity to deliver the city region’s priorities

• Agitator – shouting up for the cityregion, using influence to bring ingreater support and devolution from the government, and greater investment from the private sector and internationally

• Commissioner – using resources, directly and indirectly aligned to the LEP, to strategically guide investment into priorities which support the strategy

The Strategy for Growth Our Strategy for Growth ultimatelyguides the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ formaking our vision a reality. Itprovides the framework under whichwe spell out our objectives, andhow we prioritise the activity whichis required to deliver the. It is madeup of four inter-linked ‘documents’:

• The ‘Strategic Framework’ (thisdocument) which sets out insimple terms the LEP’s vision, sixstrategic enablers, and approachto delivering growth and jobs forthe city-region.

• The ‘Delivery Portal’ which is anonline tool containing the LEP’sdelivery plan, and providinglocal-level detail and KPIs for thebreadth of all activity which issupporting the LEP and itspriorities. Rather than being afixed document this is dynamicand live, hence the decision tohost this virtually rather than inprint form. Available online atwww.gbslep.com.

• The ‘Spatial Plan’ which sets outthe detail of how the integratedspatial aspects of the LEP’sstrategy are coordinated,particularly around the approachto housing and employmentland. (end 2013).

• The ‘Evidence & ConsultationBase’ which informs all of theLEP’s priorities and activities. Thelatest version of this is availableonline at www.gbslep.com

StrategicFramework

DeliveryPortal

Evidence & Consultation Base

SpatialPlan


Measuring success We must also be accountable forour actions and have clear KPIs thatprovide a measure of our progress.Within the Strategy for Growth theLEP maintains a number ofmilestones, KPIs and targets to helpensure progress and providetransparent accountability ondelivery. They have been dividedinto three key areas:

• Headline – used to measure theoverall performance of the LEPagainst its overriding mission andvision statement (containedwithin our executive summary inthis document)

• Strategic – used to guide theDelivery Portal and measure thehigh-level activity taking place tosupport the strategic enablers(contained within the ‘StrategicEnablers’ in this document)

• Activity – used within theDelivery Portal to chart theprogress of individual pieces ofactivity, or commissioned workfrom partners, designed tosupport the strategic enablers.

The Greater Birmingham Project& ‘No Stone Unturned’During the course of the WhitePaper consultation on this Strategyfor Growth, Lord Heseltine issuedhis report “No Stone Unturned”which has subsequently beenendorsed by the Government. The GBS LEP agreed to pilot therecommendations in No StoneUnturned. Our report entitled “The Greater Birmingham Project –The Path to Local Growth” wasissued on 17th March 2013following an intense process of work over a few short weeks with input from a very broad

spectrum of private, public andvoluntary sectors. Our report was warmly received andprovided a very informative insightinto our future direction tosupporting growth. In particular:-

• Our ability to engage a broad base of key stakeholders committed to working together to address LEP wide issues and opportunities;

• It confirmed the strategic framework set out in the Strategyfor Growth is fit for purpose, and;

• In the context of the devolution of greater powers and a Single Pot, the output from the Greater Birmingham Project confirmed the significant growth dividend we have in our LEP area.

“the GBS LEP can and indeed are now talking of the sort of thingsthey can do differently if they are given the chance to use theirpart of the Single Pot to exploit the strengths they know to bethere on the ground and break out from the conformist disciplinesdesigned to fit the ‘one size fits all’ approach of today’s practice.”

Lord Heseltine, from his introduction to the ‘Greater Birmingham Project’ report




The strategicenablers of growth

Our aspirationWe want more businesses to start,grow and succeed in the LEP area.For this to be possible we need tobuild accessible systems of businesssupport appropriate for all ourcompanies (from early-stage, toSME, and through to globalpowerhouses), relevant to localchallenges, sectors andopportunities, and reflective of thediversity of our business base andpopulation (particularly includingour vibrant third sector). We want tosee business growth fuelled byaccess to fair and relevant finance,capable of supporting the differing

needs of businesses during theirlifecycle across all sectors. We wantregulation and procurement to bebusiness friendly and tools forsupporting local growth. By tacklingthese key issues we will see far moresuccessful start-ups, attract moreentrepreneurs, greater volumes ofinternational trade, and overall havestronger businesses employingmore people across the LEP area.

Our proposalsWe will seek an overhaul of businesssupport through a new GBS LEPBusiness Support Solution, built bythe region for the region. Key

components will include greaterrepresentation, reduced duplicationof effort, greater accessibility,utilisation of technology andnetworks, and the alignment ofrelevant expertise from all areas.This solution will be built upon thestrengths and assets we alreadyhave, and utilise the region’sbusiness leadership to providesupport and increase performancein our city region (particularly withinindividual sectors and supplychains). This solution will provideappropriate signposting forbusinesses to the range of support available.

1. Growing the number of successful businesses


Our commitment to deliveryWe have highlighted the followingfrom our delivery plan as beingparticularly important in evidencingprogress against this enabler:

• Business start-up and survival rates to have increased to at leastthe national average by 2020

• Number of high-growth firms located within the LEP increased to above the national average by 2020

“We want morebusinesses to start,grow and succeed inthe LEP area”


High Growth, High Value Add High Volume, High Job Creation High FDI potential

1. Advanced Manufacturing 1. Tourism & Hospitality 1. ICT

2. Life & Health Sciences 2. Business, Professional & Financial Services

2. Automotive & Manufacturing

3. Digital & Creative 3. Food & Drink 3. Food & Drink

4. Business, Professional & Financial Services

4. Healthcare 4. Logistics

5. Low Carbon & EnvironmentalTechnologies & Services

5. Construction 5. Life & Health Sciences

2. Building on our sector strengths and opportunities

Our aspirationWe need to make the most out ofthe opportunities we have, andensure the LEP area reaches itspotential to become a true leader –synonymous with excellence - in keyareas of the economy. We want tosee significant growth in high-value,high-potential, sectors to help tounderpin long-term prosperity. This includes capitalising on theconcentration of social enterprisesand trading third sectororganisations which already exists invarious parts of the LEP area.Simultaneously, we must addressthe unacceptable levels ofunemployment by promoting

growth in areas where significantsustainable job creation can beachieved, and where significantproportions of the LEP workforceare already employed. Finally, it isimportant that we attain the bestpossible results from Foreign DirectInvestment (FDI) by linking our FDIstrategy to sector opportunities.

Our proposalsOur focus will be around developinga ‘triple-track’ approach to creatingand sustaining growth within thoseareas of biggest opportunity andnatural strength, as we have identifiedthrough our development, analysisand consultation. We appreciate that

within all of our categories there willbe particular opportunities andrelevant sub-sectors, however, as aguideline our focus will be upon thecomponents of the sectors listed inthe table below:

“We want to seesignificant growthin high-value, high-potential,sectors to help tounderpin long-termprosperity”


We know that companies havedifferent support needs based onthe level of development of theirparticular industry’s cluster within acity region, and the stage of thecompany, with interventionsneeding to be tailored based ondiffering requirements. We proposethat sectors will be supported viabespoke programmes of activity –for example building on our LifeSciences Sector Accelerator as partof the City Deal. These willincorporate co-ordinated businesssupport, skills support, identificationof development land, provision ofincubation facilities, grow-on space,clustering and access to finance.Strategic Relationship Managementwill support the identification and

removal of barriers to growth. Our inward investment approachwill focus upon the coordinatedapproach towards targeting thoseareas of greatest opportunitysupported by a clear set of key‘selling’ messages, including ourcreative skills, quality of life andglobal connectivity, to promote theunique strength of the LEP area.

Our commitment to delivery.We have highlighted the followingfrom our delivery plan as beingparticularly important in evidencingprogress against this enabler:

• Creation of net private sector job growth in priority sectors of 70,000 by 2020

• Creation of 12,500 new private sector jobs through FDI by 2020

• 20% growth in the value of the visitor economy by 2020



3. Stimulating innovation in products, processes, services and business structures

Our aspirationWe will develop a thrivinginnovation ecosystem and stimulateinnovation in a variety of ways,building on existing activities of thelocal Science Parks, Universities,sector support organisations,service businesses BirminghamScience City and other partners andbusinesses.

Our proposalsWe will recognise that innovationcan emerge broadly from threedirections: a wish to commercialisenew discoveries from theknowledge base; a commercialchallenge or opportunity to improveor develop a new product or offer;

and end user/ customer demand fornew or improved products andservices. Each of these drivers ofinnovation needs a different mix ofstimuli, so we will develop a rangeof actions to encourage innovationin products, processes, services andbusiness processes, including:

• Putting in place the key enablers/infrastructure

• Marketing the GBS region as an innovative place

• Developing effective business networks, including funders

• Stimulating demand for new products and services

• Promoting best practice in the management and governance of innovation.

The principles of collaboration,alignment, and mobilisation will beapplied in taking actions forward.We will encourage and enablecollaborative working between ouruniversities and colleges, publicsector and innovative business, toalign our sector strengths andopportunities to the potentialcreated by strong RDI, and tostimulate new market opportunitiesby encouraging the developmentand adoption of new ideas,technology, design and businesspractices. We will use of publicdrivers, such as procurement andaccess to public data, to increaseinnovation and encourageinvestment in research andinnovation in the public and private


sectors. We will also mobilisebusiness support which encouragesinnovation, for example via thetransfer and commercialisation ofideas from academia, or the inter-sector transfer of knowledge andtechnology. We will seek alignmentto create a compelling offer forinnovative business to start orrelocate in the LEP area, byensuring the volume and quality ofsuitable incubation and innovationspace with associated businessesservices and access to finance.


• Community Innovation Survey increase in new products and processes of 20% by 2020

• 30% increase in claims for R&D tax credits (in both number of companies claiming, and the volume of claims) by 2020


ABOVE: The ‘Skills Show’ which is held within the GBS LEP annually in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Free to attend, it is theUK's largest skills and careers event inspiring young people with exciting opportunities in further education,

skills and Apprenticeships. For details see www.theskillsshow.com


4. Improving our skills talent pool

“Our Skills for Growth Compact will commit employers, collegesand schools to build a best-in-class skills service to link pupils andlearners with real-world work opportunities with at least 25% oflocal businesses signed up by 2015.” GBS LEP City Deal

Our aspirationWe know that our skills eco systemneeds radical reform. We need tocreate far more alignment betweenemployers and providers within apartnership that helps create ademand-led skills system. Animportant part of our aspiration isfor business to take a full andmeaningful role in supportingeducational success in the region,and as a result work closely withschools colleges and universitiesand help inspire success. We wantto see aspiration increased, and farmore opportunities created toreduce inequality and promoteinclusion. In particular we want toensure young people and adultswithin the LEP are given the skills tosucceed in employment.

This should include higher levelskills, as offered by our colleges anduniversities, which are key tobusiness growth and the economy.

Our proposalsThrough the development of ourSkills for Growth Compact, agreed aspart of the City Deal, we will inspireour employers, colleges and schoolsto build a best-in-class skills serviceto link pupils and learners with real-world work opportunities. Our effortswill be focussed upon creatingbusiness engagement and supportfor local schools to ensure employersgain a stake in their potentialemployee’s future and are supportingthe success of all schools across theGBS LEP. Simultaneously, we willwork with our local employment base

to substantially grow the number ofapprenticeships and access toemployment schemes offered.

Our commitment to delivery We have highlighted the followingfrom our delivery plan as beingparticularly important in evidencingprogress against this enabler:

• Youth unemployment rate to decrease to the LEP Core City Average by 2020

• Employers in the LEP area reporting skills gaps to be reduced by 15% by 2020

• Individuals with qualifications at NVQ 3 and above to increase to Core City average by 2020


5. Improving physical and digital connectivity

Our aspirationWe want to significantly improvethe quality and reliability ofconnectivity both within the LEP,and from the LEP to theregion/nation/world. We see road,rail, air and digital connectivitybeing key components of this mixand believe they need to workeffectively together to betterconnect people to jobs, andbusinesses to markets. We need tocut congestion and uncertainty overtravel times, and reduce theaverage time taken for people toget to their place of work, or to visitfor business or leisure tourism.

Our proposalsTo achieve this we will commit tothe creation of a new StrategicAlliance of local LEPs to ensure thewider travel to work area issupported by strong transportgovernance. Working withBirmingham Airport we will increaseroute development East and West.We will develop the means toensure improved digital connectivityis available for urban and rurallocations. We will focus on reducingjourney times for employees, andfor businesses. Championing HS2we will ensure a complimentarypackage of investments ensures thewider LEP geography will beconnected to this key development.


• A Strategic Transport Alliance for the wider area, to be embedded by end of 2013

• Identify a comprehensive list of transport infrastructure requirements needed to deliver the GBS Strategy for growth by 2013



6. Optimising physical, cultural and environmental assets

Our aspirationWe need to work collectively andsustainably to optimise thedevelopment and deployment ofour physical, cultural andenvironmental assets. We needhousing to meet the needs of futuregrowth and aspiration, developed incoalition with plans for growth andemployment land. We want to seeall of the assets within the region,particularly the public sector,utilised to their full potential tosupport economic growth. We alsowant to see the strength, anddiversity, of the LEP environmentenhanced as part of a coordinatedapproach to grow the creativesector economy, and throughimprovements to infrastructure tomake the LEP area a vibrant placeto live, work, visit and invest.

Our proposalsOur focus will be around targetingareas of greatest potentialeconomic benefit, and acceleratingdevelopment within them alignedto our sector and skills plans; theflagship programmes being our CityCentre Enterprise Zone (EZ) andEnterprise Belt (EB) with the M42Economic Gateway at its heart. Wewill work across the LEP to create astronger pro-growth environmentwith a new planning offer, and LEPspatial plan, created with theconsensus of the private and thepublic sector and focussed uponsustainable growth achievedthrough continued successful urbanand rural renaissance.

Using the LEP’s role as custodian ofthe region’s economic strategy wewill support the alignment ofhousing provision to areas of

growth, and ensure suitableemployment land is available tomeet priorities. We will also conducta thorough audit of all the land andassets owned by the public sectoracross the LEP area, focussing onbringing derelict land back into useto support growth.

We will prioritise raising the qualityof life for all the LEP's residents,with access to high quality andlocally responsive culturalprogrammes, recognising andenhancing the LEP’s considerableand varied natural assets anddifferent local centres. Through theCreative City Partnership we willencourage participation in the fullbreadth of the LEP’s cultural offer,building a strong shared sense ofidentity and purpose and increasingengagement in civic life



• A Spatial Plan published by December 2013

• EZ delivery - 1.3m2 of new floorspace, create 40,000 new jobs, contribute over £2bn to the economy in GVA per annum and generate in excess of £700m in additional business rates.

• EB delivery - create the framework for the creation of over 25,000 jobs through the lifetime of the EB

• 10% increase in the economic output of the cultural sector by 2020


In July 2012 the Enterprise Zone,established by the GBS LEP in BirminghamCity Centre, was recognised as one of thetop 50 of global free zones by fDimagazine joining an elite list of the world’stop development areas.

Local Authority Members

Business Representative Members

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 0121 303 4369

Address: LEP Executive, Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP, Baskerville House Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2ND

Website: www.gbslep.com

Twitter: @gbslep

Join the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership group on LinkedIn

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Documents

Delivering Growth - GBS LEP · by the three pillars of business, people and place - we believe these six enablers contain within them the keys to achieving our vision. To ensure that