The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today (Feb 7) announced the establishment of the London Enterprise Panel to drive regeneration and boost economic growth in the capital.
Consisting of representatives from London boroughs and business leaders the panel, the local enterprise partnership for London, will advise the Mayor on how best to attract strategic investment to support private sector growth and employment, promote enterprise, increase skill levels and protect and enhance London’s competitiveness.
Co-chaired by the Mayor and Harvey McGrath, Chairman of Prudential plc, the panel will meet for the first time on 21 February.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “If we want London to remain a key player in the global economy then we have to continue to drive forward regeneration and secure investment to boost jobs and skills. Bringing together the expertise of business with the know how of local boroughs and key advisers here at City Hall reflects my determination to make this happen. With the formation of this Panel I now believe we are in the best position to get the right results for London and to ensure we remain the best big city in the world to live and work."
Harvey McGrath, co-Chair of the Panel said: “The London Enterprise Panel will add value by providing a forum in which for the first time the Mayor, senior business and civic leaders can work together on critical issues affecting London’s economy and competitiveness”.
The full membership of the London Enterprise Panel is:
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London (co-Chair)
Harvey McGrath, Chairman of Prudential plc (co-Chair)
William Castell, Chairman Wellcome Trust
Grant Hearn, Executive Chairman, Travelodge
Nick Turner, Managing Director, Nomura
Jack Morris, Chairman of Business Design Centre Group
Stephen Howard, Chief Executive, Business in the Community
Sue Terpilowski, Chairman London Policy Unit at Federation of Small Businesses
Councillor Chris Roberts, Leader, Royal Borough of Greenwich
Councillor Steve Reed, Leader, London Borough of Lambeth
Councillor Michael White, Leader, London Borough of Havering
Sir Peter Rogers, the Mayor’s Advisor on Regeneration, Growth and Enterprise (ex-officio member)
The Panel will be supported by a Skills & Employment Working Group, which will include representatives from key stakeholder groups. The Group will focus on building on the legacy of the London Skills and
Employment Board and identifying priorities for adult (post 16) skills training in London.
More information on the London Enterprise Panel, including the agenda for meetings, public papers and member biographies will be made available at: www.london.gov.uk/londonenterprisepanel
Ends
Notes to editors
1. In October 2010, the Government invited the Mayor, London boroughs and business leaders to consider the case for whether and how local enterprise partnerships could be formed in London. In response, the Mayor, with London Councils, decided that there was a strong case for a single pan-London partnership to complement existing working arrangements between London business, the Mayor and the boroughs. On 16 December, the Mayor and London Councils submitted their proposal to government for a local enterprise partnership for London with the support of leading business organisations. On 17 February 2011, the government announced approval of the proposal.
2. The London Enterprise Panel is a non-incorporated consultative and advisory body established by the Mayor under sections 30 and 34 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, whose members he appoints under those same powers. As a mayoral appointed body with no separate, independent or corporate legal status the Panel must operate through the Greater London Authority (GLA) which may be required to act as its “accountable body” if funding arrangements are entered into with the Government or European Commission on the Panel’s behalf.
3. Consistent with London’s unique governance arrangements, the Panel’s role will not be the same as that of the local enterprise partnerships that have been established elsewhere in the country. Outside London, LEPs are the only sub-national, supra-local focus for economic development activity, and to that extent may be considered to have replaced the Regional Development Agencies. In London, the functions of the London Development Agency are being folded into the GLA and will not be taken on by the London Enterprise Panel. The Panel will therefore have an advisory role and work within the framework set by the London Plan and other Mayoral strategies.
4. Panel Members (other than those nominated by London Councils) were appointed following an open recruitment process and selected in accordance with the GLA’s Protocol on Mayoral Appointments: /sites/default/files/archives/about-corp-gov-docs-mayor-appts-protocol.pdf.
5. In March 2011 the government announced a new generation of Enterprise Zones and that the consequent uplift in business rates in each Zone would go to the relevant Enterprise Partnership. This offers the potential to create a sustainable economic development and regeneration fund for the capital. The Royal Docks has been approved as London""s first Enterprise Zone and the Government has also announced that it will consider creating a new Enterprise Zone at Battersea.
6. The Mayor is committed to openness in all aspects of his administration and is committed to making the work of this Panel transparent. Agendas and papers for the Panel and any Working Groups will therefore be posted on the GLA’s website at least two clear working days before the meeting to which they relate. Papers will be released with the agenda except in those cases where the Secretary reasonably considers that information contained in the papers may be exempt from disclosure under an applicable exemption under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).