A first review of how well England’s 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships are tackling issues around climate change and promoting a low carbon economy has praised D2N2’s approach.
D2N2 – the private sector led partnership promoting economic growth across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – ranked highly in most assessments in the report Fit for the Future? Local Enterprise Partnerships’ Climate Ready and Low Carbon Economy Good Practice.
Details of the report – produced by Sustainability West Midlands (SWM) with the support of organisations Climate UK, Climate Ready , and Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands – were discussed at an event organised by the report authors, held at Birmingham’s BVSC Conference Centre.
The workshop gave examples of good practice by LEPs in promoting the local low carbon economy, managing carbon emissions, and helping businesses and their areas adapt to the impact of climate change.
The report was compiled by looking at each of the 39 LEPs’:
- Strategic Economic Plan, the detailed long term strategy for how a LEP will promote economic growth and grow jobs in its area.
- European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF) strategy. For example, D2N2 has an allocation of €251million in ESIF funding to spend on a range of business issues in its area over six years.
- 2014/15 Annual Review.
D2N2 scored highly on a range of assessments detailed in the report, including:
- Third out of the 39 LEPs (with 63%) for ‘commitment to climate change’ (average score for adaptation, mitigation and the low carbon economy);
- Third (with 80%) for ‘LEP commitments to the low carbon economy’;
- Fourth (73%) for ‘LEP commitments to climate mitigation’.
D2N2 was also cited among the report’s examples of good practice amongst LEPs.
It was praised for its mapping of potential low carbon project opportunities in its European Union funding strategy, its promotion of ‘low carbon’ as one of D2N2’s eight key economic sectors, and for working with an “impressive range of low carbon centres of excellence either already developed or to be funded via EU streams” in its area. D2N2 was also commended for including a section in its Annual Review specifically relating to ‘low carbon environmental goods and services’.
The report concluded that climate change and low carbon issues had to be taken into consideration to ensure sustainable economic growth and productivity, that LEPs ought to work together more to have a wider impact, and that more support was needed from Government bodies to help LEPs with a better low carbon approach to share their good practice and to support those not performing as well.
David Ralph, Chief Executive of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “One of the key challenges put to D2N2 was to set out a coherent plan for sustainable growth. We believe we have achieved this, and it is good to see this confirmed by this national independent report’s recognition of our efforts to grow a low carbon economy and, through our key sectors work, help low carbon sector businesses.
“D2N2 builds on strengths and much good work has already taken place. There remains huge potential in the low carbon sector, which is why it was given such prominence by D2N2 from the beginning, in its Strategic Economic Plan.”
At an event to mark the D2N2 Growth Hub’s first anniversary, held at Nottingham Trent University last December (2015), low carbon delivery firm WEGO Couriers of Nottingham (PICTURED) was among the companies featured. It said how it had been helped by the Growth Hub team and D2N2’s Low Carbon Sector and Skills Advisory Group to promote its ‘green’ credentials, to further develop its business.
To read a copy of the report Fit for the Future? Local Enterprise Partnerships’ Climate Ready and Low Carbon Economy Good Practice go to the web link HERE.
Report chief author, Sustainability West Midlands, is the Government designated regional sustainability champion body for the West Midlands. It is a not-for-profit company whose private sector-led Board works with business, and the public and voluntary sectors.
For more information about Sustainability West Midlands go to its website at www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk
To learn more about the D2N2 LEP’s work on and with the low carbon sector, and to see its Action Plan, go to web link www.d2n2lep.org/lowcarbon
For further information about this news release contact D2N2 LEP Communications Manager Sean Kirby on 0115 9578749 or email: sean.kirby@d2n2lep.org
