Hampshire Chamber stages Solent LEP launch

01 Aug 11

Hampshire Chamber of Commerce showed its strength as the voice of regional and local business by helping PUSH manage the official launch of the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
More than 300 leading figures from companies, local councils, universities and other organisations attended the event at the City Cruise Terminal in Southampton. They took part in a conference, exhibition, panel session and networking opportunity.
LEP Chairman Doug Morrison introduced the board members of the new body, which is a business-led, government-recognised initiative involving a range of partners deciding local economic priorities together and leading the recovery.
Mr Morrison, who is Port Director at Southampton, said the growth and success of the LEP hinged on businesses becoming actively involved.
He said: “It is never easy to start a new enterprise like this and we need your help and assistance. We want the LEP to take a leading role in ensuring the whole business community, from the micro-business to the organisation employing hundreds of people, are all pulling in the same direction. Businesses need to tell us what they feel the priorities for the region are and how we can achieve these goals.”
Among the board members are Gary Jeffries, managing director of commercial property agency Hughes Ellard and President of the Portsmouth area of Hampshire Chamber.
In his keynote address, David Dingle, CBE, chief executive of cruise company Carnival UK, highlighted four key issues he felt the LEP should concentrate on - raising the profile of the Solent area, creating a more vibrant visitor economy, building a stronger talent base and ensuring the area received more investment in transport and infrastructure.
Mr Dingle told the audience: “These are four things the LEP must focus its messaging, influencing and lobbying around. I’m sure I am not alone in identifying these as the key issues.”
The event included an interactive consultation exercise in which delegates responded to a series of questions via voting buttons on their tables. Topics included employment, finance, skills, transport and planning. Responses were collated to inform a post event report and onward LEP board discussions.
Delegates also texted their own questions to which board members responded in a wrap-up session at the end of the event.
Asked what the criteria for success of the LEP was, Mr Morrison said it was about delivering successful bids for government funding, improving the visitor economy, removing bureaucracy and boosting skills.
The event included the launch of an ‘immediate deliverable’, the Solent Apprentices for Business scheme.

The apprentice is sourced and employed by Apprentices for Business so that the host employer does not have to worry about recruitment, payroll and human resource management issues.
Councillor Sean Woodward, Leader of Fareham Borough Council and another LEP board member, said 13 apprenticeships were already being offered this way at his council and he hoped many more Solent employers would come on board.
Captain Jimmy Chestnutt, chief executive of Hampshire Chamber, said: “We were delighted to be asked by the Solent LEP to help manage this important launch event, and its success is a further demonstration that the Chamber has the resources and business strength to play a leading role in the business life of this LEP. The launch also provided the business community with the opportunity to remind government of the importance of investing in infrastructure, training and skills in this important region so that the Solent area can help drive the recovery on which the future prosperity of the UK depends.”
For more information on Solent LEP, visit www.solentlep.org.uk.

Useful links

http://www.solentlep.org.uk/