Last week saw the initiative “Rebalancing the Outer Estates” project take a significant step forward as a draft business plan was circulated by Graham Allen MP at a conference co hosted by the North Nottingham MP and the LEP.
Graham Allen welcomed the Rt Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Lord Heseltine, chairman of the Regional Growth Fund and Jon Cruddas MP, Member of Parliament for Dagenham & Rainham and Dawn Austwick, Chief Exec of the National Lottery as keynote speakers for the event attended by some 80 delegates.
The draft business plan has now been formally submitted to Government as part of the LEP’s Growth Deal, which will be reviewed over the summer. We believe that the business plan will drive improvements not only to Nottingham North in terms of employability and work readiness, but will also form a model which can be rolled out across the UK in the next parliament.
The event was hosted at New College Nottingham’s Basford Hall Campus, which provides a key driver for employability and skills in the North Nottingham constituency including the exciting sustainable construction academy.
With other key economic assets such as Nottingham Energy Park and Southglade Food Hall as well as local schools and local shopping centres, we’ll be looking to establish a mechanism in driving the local economy forward with the help of the local community, local Social Enterprises and local Councillors.
We believe that the business plan provides the blueprint for understanding how public funding is applied across an area and specifically, how it might be targeted most effectively on improving employability and education but also community engagement.
The initiative demonstrates the LEP not only supports growth, but alongside many other local initiatives, most often in the voluntary sector, is keen to see that growth is shared across its communities.
Consequently, we are working closely with One East Midlands in a social inclusion programme that should help target our programmes more effectively to those priorities that most need funding.
DR
