(Secretary of State for
Housing, Communities and Local Government): Today the
Government is announcing a package of reforms to help all places
throughout the UK to prepare for the opportunities leaving the
European Union will bring. The Business Secretary and I are
publishing a policy paper on strengthened Local Enterprise
Partnerships (LEPs). This publication sets out how we will work
with LEPs on their role and responsibilities, leadership and
organisational capacity, accountability and performance. A copy
of the Local Enterprise Partnership policy paper can be found
here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strengthened-local-enterprise-partnerships
We have also confirmed that Government will be working with all
mayoral combined authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships to
develop Local Industrial Strategies. We will take a phased
approach, and the next wave of places we will work closely with
are the North East, Tees Valley, West of England, Leicester &
Leicestershire, Cheshire & Warrington and Heart of the South
West. Government will aim to agree Local Industrial Strategies
across England by early 2020. We will be publishing a further
statement on Local Industrial Strategies to guide locally-led
work. This will be published over the summer. We will also
discuss with devolved administrations and other stakeholders how
Local Industrial Strategies could work in the devolved
administrations.
Alongside these announcements, I can today set out our progress
on designing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Our manifesto
committed to establishing a UK Shared Prosperity Fund to reduce
inequalities between communities across our four nations, once we
have left the European Union and EU Structural Funds. This
progress statement provides an update on our proposals to develop
a UK Shared Prosperity Fund:
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The objective of the UKSPF. The UKSPF will
tackle inequalities between communities by raising
productivity, especially in those parts of our country whose
economies are furthest behind. The UKSPF will achieve this
objective by strengthening the foundations of productivity as
set out in our modern Industrial Strategy to support people to
benefit from economic prosperity.
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A simplified, integrated fund. EU Structural
Funds have been difficult to access, and EU regulations have
stopped places co-ordinating investments across the foundations
of productivity. Simplified administration for the fund will
ensure that investments are targeted effectively to align with
the challenges faced by places across the country and supported
by strong evidence about what works at the local level.
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UKSPF in the devolved nations. The UKSPF will
operate across the UK. The Government will of course respect
the devolution settlements in Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland and will engage the devolved administrations to ensure
the fund works for places across the UK.
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A national framework in England that works for local
priorities. Local areas in England are being asked
to prepare Local Industrial Strategies to prioritise long-term
opportunities and challenges to increasing local productivity.
This prioritisation will help local areas decide on their
approach to maximising the long-term impact of the UKSPF once
details of its operation and priorities are announced following
the Spending Review.
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Consulting the public. We intend to consult on the
UKSPF this year, as we committed to do in our Industrial
Strategy.
Furthermore, in 2016 the Government guaranteed funding for UK
organisations in receipt of EU funds where projects are agreed
before the day the UK leaves the EU. The Government has today
announced an extension to this guarantee, which will underwrite
the UK’s allocation for structural and investment fund projects
under this EU Budget period to 2020 in the event of no-deal. This
ensures that UK organisations, such as charities, businesses and
universities, will continue to receive funding over a project’s
lifetime if they successfully bid into EU-funded programmes
before December 2020.
