The LEP Network

Dorset

Background

The Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership bid was approved by the government on 7 July 2011. The priority actions and objectives of the Dorset LEP are to:

• Create a global hub for international trade and business, focussing on Bournemouth Airport and the Ports of Poole and Portland
• Achieve excellent high-speed broadband
• Advance integrated spatial and infrastructure planning across the whole conurbation
• Plan positively for sustainable economic growth, emphasising the need to be “open for business”
• Capture the Olympic legacy across the entire LEP area
• Secure opportunities from offshore renewables 
• Create a culture of enterprise and improving employability skills, working with schools, colleges and employers to develop an enterprise friendly curriculum
• Review and implement of the Dorset Employment and Skills Strategy
• Positively embrace the role of older people within the economy of Dorset
• Encourage businesses to “go global”
• Encourage the work of, or development of, sector-specific advisory bodies.

The Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership does three things – invests, lobbies and unites.

The Dorset LEP has already secured more than £45 million for different projects, including £38 million for the roll out of Superfast Broadband across the county – a top priority, £6.5 million to boost jobs and housing, plus a further allocation of £2.5 million from the last Budget. And as further investment follows, the LEP’s teeth will sharpen.

Key to the LEP’s success is working in partnership with private businesses. In fact it is driven by the private sector with local authority support via a direct link to central government.

Dorset is one of the UK’s most beautiful counties, from its world famous Jurassic coastline and rolling farmlands to its thatched-cottage villages and vibrant towns.

But it’s also a beautiful place to do business. Dorset boasts an impressive number of household industry names to prove it.

Dorset has a population of more than 700,000, and a wide range of industry sectors, including financial services, aerospace, tourism, food and drink, creative industries and marine, amongst many others. In addition to excellent ports, Bournemouth International Airport has recently undergone major refurbishment, placing it in an excellent position for export growth.

By winning investment, the LEP can not only help local industry attract a world-class workforce, but ensure they compete on a global stage. 

Geography

The LEP encompasses the local authority district areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch, East Dorset, North Dorset, Poole, Purbeck, West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland.

Board and Governance

Chair: Gordon Page CBE

The Dorset LEP is controlled by a voluntary board comprising leaders from a variety of business backgrounds, alongside representatives from local government and further and higher education. The board works together to hammer out the strategic priorities for Dorset, and also seeks to abolish barriers that would prevent growth, whilst also chasing capital investment.

News

http://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/news/

Key Contacts for LEP

David Walsh

Phone: 01305 224254
Email: [email protected]

LEP Twitter: @DorsetLEP

http://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/