Regional Industrial Strategy

Summary

The government’s industrial strategy was launched in November 2017.

Local Industrial Strategies are plans designed by local public and private sector organisations that identify the local “strengths, challenges, future opportunities and action needed to boost productivity, earning power and competitiveness.”

The role of LEPs in the development of Local Industrial Strategies will vary depending on local government arrangements:

• In areas not covered by a Mayoral Combined Authority, the local LEP will lead on strategy development
• Areas covered by a Mayoral Combined Authority will have a single strategy, supported by combined local LEPs.

All Strategies will coordinate local economic planning, and national funding streams. They will involve close cooperation between the public and private sector in local areas, ensuring that the needs of the private sector are met in the context of the overall aims of the public sector. The Strategies will also work to ensure that the relevant layers of government will coordinate their activity (for example, Mayoral Authorities, local authorities and central government will they coordinate planning and policy development)

The government aims to have Local Industrial Strategies agreed with all areas of England by early 2020.

Single page summaries of local industrial plans for all LEP areas (as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) were published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy in December 2018; a page detailing progress on the development of Local Industrial Strategies by individual LEPs is published by the LEP Network.