Letter from LEP Co-Chair Harvey McGrath

London Enterprise Panel
City Hall
The Queen’s Walk
London SE1 2AA
Switchboard: 020 7983 4000
Minicom: 0207 983 4458
Web: www.london.gov.uk

Date: 10 February 2012

Dear colleague,

I am writing to provide you with key information about the establishment of the London Enterprise Panel, the local enterprise partnership for London.
You will be aware that, in 2011, the Government announced approval of the proposal, submitted by the Mayor of London and London Councils, for a single pan-London partnership to act as a forum for the private sector to raise and discuss enterprise, innovation, growth, skills and employment issues with the Mayor and borough leaders.

The London Enterprise Panel will meet for the first time later this month and its role will be to advise the Mayor on action to:
 Provide strategic investment to support private sector growth and employment in London;
 Promote enterprise and innovation and skills and employment in London;
 Protect and enhance London’s competitiveness.

The Panel will also advise on the delivery of Enterprise Zones in London and on bids for funding offered to local enterprise partnerships by central government and on the allocation of funds received.

The Mayor has appointed me as co-chair of the Panel and, as set out in the attached press release, has also appointed a number of members to the Panel.
As you will see, the Panel is strongly business-led and includes four UK Chairmen, the MD of a major bank and two Chief Executives, one of whom represents London SMEs.

In addition, London Councils has nominated three of London’s borough leaders to sit on the Panel. Finally, the Mayor’s Adviser for Regeneration, Growth & Enterprise will be an ex officio member of the Panel.

The Panel’s initial priorities will include decisions on how to take forward the £41m allocated to London from the national Growing Places Fund. Maintaining the momentum created by the work of the London Skills & Employment Board, the Panel will also focus on strategic action to increase the number of Londoners in employment  and close London’s skills gaps. On the latter issue, the Panel will work principally Sent via email to key LEP stakeholders  London Enterprise Panel through its Skills and Employment Working Group, to which additional members will be
invited in due course.

For further information, please visit the GLA’s website:
www.london.gov.uk/londonenterprisepanel.
We will continue to provide regular updates on the work of the Panel. In the meantime, if you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact the Panel’s secretariat:
londonenterprisepanel@london.gov.uk.
Yours sincerely,

Harvey McGrath
Co-Chair, London Enterprise Panel