PRESS RELEASE

Business Group holds first meeting to discuss the way forward for the Swindon & Wiltshire LEP

Friday 2 September 2011

Following the successful submission to government for a joint Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Business leaders from Swindon & Wiltshire met yesterday to discuss how they envisage taking this initiative forward. Led by the respective Strategic Economic Partnership Chairs, they discussed how business could best support, and engage with the LEP process and set an ambitious timetable for putting in place a formal structure by January 2012. The focus will be on how the LEP can encourage economic growth, wealth and job creation over the short to medium term across the region as a whole. The group will seek ways of engaging the wider business community so that they can speak with authority in a forum with the two Local Authorities on the issues/challenges that the local  economy faces and suggest ways that these issues can be addressed in partnership with the public sector.

Joint Chairs, Nicky Alberry (Swindon SEP) and Paul Johnson (Wiltshire SEP) commented:

"We’re delighted to have made early progress working together to take this initiative forward. Over the coming months we will work hard with the business community to understand the issues they face in their businesses, whether growing or surviving in the current economic environment. It’s important that we now quickly pull together the facts and statistics that give us a proper picture of the economic health of the key business sectors so that we can have a meaningful conversation with government and our local authority partners on how we can best grow the local economy, create jobs and improve the opportunities for both new and existing businesses in the region. ”

For further information on the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership please contact the Secretariat :-

Steve Richards

Old Orchard

Lynbrook Lane

BATH

BA2 5NB

E.mail: c2r@sdrichards.demon.co.uk

Mobile: 07748 658230