Greater Lincolnshire has been included in the third wave of Local Industrial Strategies.

Greater Lincolnshire’s economy is set to be strengthened after the Government included the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership in its third and final wave of Local Industrial Strategies (LIS).

As part of its wider Industrial Strategy, the Government has been asking LEPs in England to develop a Local Industrial Strategy in stages – and Greater Lincolnshire is among the latest to be given the green light.

Through the initiative, the Government aims to boost local economies by giving greater autonomy to LEPs in building on their competitive advantages.

Ruth Carver, Director at the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, has warmly welcomed the announcement.

“We are pleased to work with Government on developing our Local Industrial Strategy. This is fantastic news for Greater Lincolnshire and the future of our area’s economy,” said Ruth.

The Greater Lincolnshire LEP has already been extensively preparing for the production of its LIS and has identified the following emerging themes:

  • Future proofing the agri-food industry
  • Becoming a rural test-bed for energy and water
  • Developing new solutions supporting people to live well for longer in dispersed areas
  • A high-quality, inclusive visitor economy
  • An efficient and high-skilled ports and logistics industry

Ruth Carver added: “We have already conducted extensive work in producing a robust evidence base for our Local Industrial Strategy and have had it independently assessed. We have made sure that we were ready the hit the ground running once we were given the go-ahead by the Government, which has now been rubber stamped in today’s announcement.”

The LEP team working on the Local Industrial Strategy, led by Liz Shutt, Cathy Jones and James Baty, will begin a final consultation period on the strategy in the new year and then continue to work with Government with the aim of implementing it by March 2020.