If the Private Sector were to deliver Public Services what would be different?

I was invited to give a speech to the Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce lunch held in Goole this past week. I chose the theme of - "If the Private Sector were to deliver Public Services what would be different?”

(Pictured with Chamber Chief Executive Iain Kelly)

I covered a number of issues that are close to my heart, including my thoughts on how the Council, Police, Fire, the NHS and other public services organisations could work closer together to deliver services more locally, and more efficiently to save money, including how we could make best use of public service assets.

I also spoke about the thorny issue of Business Rates collected in the East Riding by the Council on behalf of central Government, where the money is put into a central pot, before the Government divides it up between all the Local Authorities in England using a fiendishly complex mathematical formula to determine how much to pass back, telling us how the money should be spent and how this flies in the face of localism and really needs a major overhaul!

Being more radical – I also explored alternative ways of raising money to be spent on public services locally, and how greater local accountability and democracy could be introduced - particularly if the decision makers got it wrong we could throw them out!

As expected I did give my thoughts on Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), but more importantly I certainly listened to the views of the representatives of the business community who attended.

The whole speech was designed to be thought provoking; I hope I achieved what I set out to do?

Hull, Scarborough & East Riding LEP - Let's make the area a great place to do business!

With all the uncertainty over public sector cuts and the future of our economy it is entirely logical that a number of business leaders across the Humber region have real concerns about a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) comprising of Hull, Scarborough and the East Riding of Yorkshire - but does not include North and North East Lincolnshire.

Until the government decides exactly what LEPs will do, it is understandable why some people are still very unsure and skeptical as to what it will mean to them, and why many believe that a Humber focused LEP would be preferable to the Local Authority areas of the East Riding, Hull and Scarborough joining forces.

It we look at Goole, there are strong connections not only between Goole and North Lincolnshire, but also with Doncaster and West Yorkshire, with businesses trading with other businesses and people travelling from one area to another to work.

In the north of the East Riding the business connections between Bridlington and Scarborough are equally as strong, and in the west we see the same relationship between Pocklington and York.

The relationship between Hull and the East Riding is very strong in terms of business, travel to work and culture, no better example then when it comes to football with Hull City receiving a great deal of it’s support from the East Riding.

My understanding is that the LEPs are intended to be LOCAL, about PARTNERSHIP working, but most importantly about ENTERPRISE.

LEPs will be business driven, designed to facilitate enterprising people and businesses working together to strengthen, enhance and rebuild our local economy.

Business does not and should not have boundaries and I welcome the opportunity for the private sector to take responsibility for running significant aspects of our local economy. After all businesses want the best opportunities for business.

There are many other forums were businesses presently talk to each other and work together and I’m sure this will continue.

I firmly believe that forging links with neighbouring LEP’s, but also wherever they are in the UK will be an extremely important step forward in helping Goole and Howdenshire to become an even better place to live and work.

The Humber Estuary is vital to our economy and Goole is extremely well placed to take advantage of the opportunities it brings. Our inland location and ready access to the country’s central road network be it north, south, east or west places us in a great position to help drive the new Local Enterprise Partnership forward.

So does an East Riding, Hull and Scarborough LEP mean that we will cut our ties with North and North East Lincolnshire? Of course it doesn’t, put simply, it gives us the chance to work together to forge economic links in new and smarter ways.

There are many unanswered questions about Local Enterprise Partnerships, but before we are too quick to judge, let us see this as an opportunity not a threat and rather than wait to be told what to do, let’s take the initiative to work together like never before to make the Goole and Howdenshire area a great place to do business.

For me, as with most things, the glass is certainly half full when it comes to Local Enterprise Partnerships

Hull, East Riding & Scarborough Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) - 'Enterprise' is the key to making it work

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council together with authorities in Hull and Scarborough have put forward proposals to the Government to establish a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). This is something I really support as it will radically reshape the way business and local government work together in the future. I certainly feel that the word ‘ENTERPRISE’ in the title is the key to making the LEP work.

The Country is facing economic problems that need bottom up solutions from local communities. The proposal fits together well, not only geographically and economically but specifically in the areas of business, planning and infrastructure decisions, tourism, renewable energy and transport. As the leader of the ERYC said, “The way we intend to work will recognise the distinct but closely-related needs of city, coast and countryside.”

The key is for LEPs to be locally focused and have the flexibility to determine their own agenda, rather than have it handed down to them by Whitehall. The proposed East Riding, Hull and Scarborough LEP can rewrite the economic geography of our area to best serve the needs of local businesses, we will no longer be part of the overly large and somewhat unrepresentative QUANGO that was Yorkshire Forward and the top-down prescription approach taken by the previous Government.

The LEP will be the vehicle through which we re-build our local economy. The proposal put forward by the three Council’s is quite radical and innovative in its approach - identifying the challenges facing our local area and how we are to tackle them, and how important it is that our local area determines its own economic development and how private sector job growth is driven, by bringing council and business interests closer together to create the conditions for business to thrive and prosper.

The Government is keen to see partnerships remain proactive and maintain momentum. Over the coming weeks Ministers will consider the proposal in detail, looking at how it will support economic growth, before providing feedback to us ahead of the publication of the White Paper on sub-national economic growth and the introduction of the Localism Bill – something I personally hope to see sooner rather than later.