LLEP launch ten year economic growth strategy.

The Leicester and Leicestershire Economic Growth Strategy 2021-2030 seeks to deliver recovery and growth. Leicester and Leicestershire face
the challenges of recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, and the post-EU transition – from a position of strength as the region has transformed into a leading technology and knowledge-based economy over the past 10 years.

This strategy is built on robust research, stakeholder views and existing policies. This new economic strategy incorporates previous and current research, strategies and action plans, and stakeholder aspirations and concerns. It also builds on the recommendations and priorities of The Strategic Growth Plan for Leicester & Leicestershire 2050: Our vision for growth (2018), which is the strategic growth plan for the region endorsed by the nine local authority partners and Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership

Diversity is our strength. Leicester and Leicestershire benefits from a thriving, multicultural city at its heart surrounded by distinctive and independent towns and beautiful and productive rural areas. Our aspiration is to ensure that the diversity of Leicester and Leicestershire is more strongly reflected in the types of jobs and industries which our residents participate in, as well as broadening the diversity of entrepreneurship, and business leadership in terms of gender, ethnicity and age

Building sustainability principles into everything we do. Leicester and Leicestershire’s local authorities have recently declared a climate emergency and are leading the way in moving towards net carbon zero. New strengths are emerging such as the low carbon sector, space and life sciences and other activities that are creating new knowledge-based jobs and business opportunities

Collaborating to succeed. The region’s strategic central location provides many exciting opportunities. These include areas in both the Midlands and the wider UK on issues of common economic interest that will help to implement the objectives of Building Back Better. Key collaborations include the Midlands Engine, East Midlands Freeport, and joint working with Coventry and Warwickshire, and Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire

If we are to level up we need to develop the local economy in a way that purposefully seeks to lift people and neighbourhoods out of poverty, we need to use a “pro poor growth” lens when planning future developments and we need to explore value chains that are most likely to lift people out of poverty