Humber Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Review 2019 - 2020 Humber Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Review Contents Chair’s Foreword ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Investment Achieved .................................................................................................................................. 4 Highlights of the Year ................................................................................................................................. 5 Strategy ....................................................................................................................................................... 7 Clean Growth .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Employment and Skills .............................................................................................................................. 9 Business ................................................................................................................................................... 12 Infrastructure ............................................................................................................................................ 16 Governance and Transparency ............................................................................................................... 19 About the Humber LEP ............................................................................................................................ 20 Our Board .................................................................................................................................................. 21 Annual Accounts ...................................................................................................................................... 22 2 Humber Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Review Chair’s Foreword The year has seen a great deal of change at the Humber LEP, but has also brought advancement in our aims and some more brilliant partnership working. Perhaps the biggest change at the LEP has been a change in leadership. In September, Lord Chris Haskins announced he was set to step down as Chair. I have seen first-hand his unwavering commitment to the Humber region over the years and would personally like to thank him for his tremendous service. At the end of the year, I became the LEP’s Chair in the interim, having served as the Deputy Chair in previous years, as well having been a Board member since the LEP’s inception in my former capacity as Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council. I was thrilled to be appointed in this role. The start of my term as Chair coincided with the arrival of the coronavirus lockdown and subsequent impact on businesses in our region. I am proud of the LEP’s response to the economic crisis – quickly mobilising the Coronavirus Community Support Hub to help businesses to support the fight against the virus, while creating the Humber Economic Resilience Group to ensure businesses were supported and heard, while the Humber Jobs Fuse programme supported those whose jobs were affected by the pandemic. Of course, another change for the Humber LEP is the finalisation of the future direction of the LEP. It was confirmed that North and North East Lincolnshire will become sole members of Greater Lincolnshire LEP in from 1 April 2021, as per the Government’s requirements on single LEP membership. While this was not the preferred option for the Humber LEP, we understand the decision taken, and will be taking steps to build a positive, strong, collaborative relationship with both GLLEP and the authorities on the South Bank as we reform to become the Hull & East Yorkshire LEP on 1 April, which has the best interests of all our businesses and residents at its core. The gains made in the Humber in recent years will continue, we have a strong foundation from which to build a green and prosperous economic region, supported by the contributions of all our businesses and partners. Stephen Parnaby OBE, Chair 3 Humber Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Review Investment Achieved Investment delivered to 31 March 2020: Our investment has directly supported: The LEP has so far secured over £335m of 7,161 new jobs UK Government funding to enable our partners to deliver projects that support our 19,487 properties with reduced flood risk strategy. 1,411 houses completed through the Local Growth Fund 9,219 learners supported through LGF Skills £204m of this has already been invested, Capital leveraging £390m of other public and private sector funding to make a total investment to 42,446 Skills participants supported so far date of £724m in the Humber, excluding further follow-on investment after enabling £11.8m loaned through the Business Loan projects have been completed. Fund European funding: European Social Fund: £45.6m The LEP works with Government to set the Other domestic: £95.9m strategy for £104m of European Structural & Investment Funds allocated to our area and European Regional Development Fund: advises how they should be spent. When £55.9m added to match funding, this will be a total Rural Development Programme: £2.141m investment of approximately £173m. 5,872 + new jobs to follow Humber Business Growth Hub: 15,991 businesses supported by the Growth Hub Additional £2.8m ERDF funding applied for to expand Growth Hub services in addition to £6.1m existing 3,580 jobs created through our support to business £116m levered from the private sector 4 Humber Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Review Highlights of the Year The Humber LEP has seen a great deal of progress and change across the business year. Important updates include the appointment of new Chair Stephen Parnaby OBE on the retirement of Lord Haskins, the LEP hosting a landmark Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse Conference, and a successful bid to undertake the first, exploratory phase of a plan to develop an industrial decarbonisation roadmap. In September, Lord Chris Haskins announced he was set to step down as Chair of the LEP after eight years in the role. A dedicated supporter of the Humber, Lord Haskins used this role to widely promote the region’s interests and ensured the views of Humber businesses were always represented in Government. He was succeeded by our Deputy Chair, Stephen Parnaby OBE, who was appointed Chair on an interim basis. The Humber LEP achieved the rating of “Exceptional” for delivery in the Government’s annual performance review. Taking place in January, officials commented on the LEP’s “clear decision making with a strong emphasis on value for money and independent external assessment”. They also praised the LEP’s level of spending commitment for programmes such as the Local Growth Fund, which is higher than many other LEPs. The funds were originally secured for the region through competitive bidding by the Humber LEP. The first ever Energy and Clean Growth in the Northern Powerhouse conference and exhibition attracted over 800 delegates across two days – making it the biggest event of its kind to take place in the UK. Over 130 speakers from across all aspects of the energy sector travelled to Hull for the two day conference on 5 and 6 November– attracting people from all corners of the UK and beyond. The decarbonisation of the Humber also continued to be our focus. To mark the start of the Energy and Clean Growth Conference we published our Clean Growth White Paper, setting out our vision for a clean economy that not only protects jobs and industry in our region, but also fights climate change. We also published our Energy Strategy in February – setting out how we want to bring the benefits of the Energy Estuary to more communities across the region. (see page 8) The Humber LEP continued to greatly influence the skills agenda across the region. The Skills Humber event, held with partners Hull City Council, saw over 3,500 young people and their families gather to find out more about their first steps on the careers ladder and employment and training paths in March. Meanwhile, we were successful in bidding for £3.25m in additional funding to provide new employment and skills support in the Humber from the European Social Fund (ESF) National Reserve Fund. (see page 9) 5 Humber Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Review We continued to invest the Local Growth Fund into infrastructure projects that made a difference in the region – including into several flood mitigation projects that were put to the test by the severe weather events of the year. Work continued on transport infrastructure schemes across the area to improve connectivity, into town centre regeneration and also on developing employment sites and business spaces. (see page 16) The Humber Business Growth Hub had an active year, with the launch of its ScaleUp Business Development Programme in October 2019, its partnership with The Supply Chain Network in November 2019, and the launch of its Social Enterprise Accelerator in January 2020. The Growth Hub also played a central role in helping Humber businesses prepare for EU exit, and received funding from government to provide a dedicated EU exit support service, in the form of an “EU Exit Business Navigator”, augmented by masterclasses and clinics on key trading issues relating to EU exit. (see page 12) 6 Humber Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Review Strategy During 2019/20 the