Our Chair Pat Doody shares his thoughts on the upcoming Greater Lincolnshire LEP Annual Conference…

After a year's absence as we all remained at home under Covid restrictions, I am delighted to return as host of the 2021 Greater Lincolnshire LEP Annual Conference at the Lincolnshire Showground.  

It has been a long wait to get back to some form of normality and meet our talented colleagues, experts, and friends in person once again. 

We hope that this event helps people to understand the sheer depth and breadth of the work we are undertaking to ensure Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland remain fantastic areas in which to work, play, live and invest. The agenda for the day includes inspiring taster briefings from some of the biggest impact opportunities in our area which we call 'game-changers' because of the size and scope of their potential, from our thriving defence cluster and our new freeport to ambitious clean energy initiatives. 

However, we’re predicting that the most significant project we are embarking on this year will be the one to take centre stage: the launch of the UK Food Valley. Collectively we have positioned Greater Lincolnshire as an internationally significant location to develop a top 10 global cluster with an emphasis on net zero supply chains, food automation and robotics solutions, and vital inward investment. The UK Food Valley will allow for collaboration on an immense scale between regional and international food businesses, academics and researchers, investors, and local authorities, harnessing our reputation as the place to do food business. 

Coincidentally, this year marks 10 years since the LEP was created, and the past decade has delivered phenomenal growth in a multitude of sectors, from unlocking £279m of additional investment through our funding programmes and creating and safeguarding thousands of jobs, to securing freeport status for the Humber, growing our renowned offshore wind sector, and enhancing our support for local businesses through the Business Lincolnshire and Team Lincolnshire networks.  

All this has been made possible by the fantastic work of our board members, investors and partners, local authorities, LEP executive team, and of course the public, who are at the heart of everything we undertake.  

As the last 18 months have been so challenging, I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank our communities and businesses for their resilience, patience and commitment to the restrictions placed on Greater Lincolnshire, and I truly believe that the longer-term prospects for our economy will allow us to capitalise on the brightest and best opportunities across our area. With new recovery plans in place, alongside our game-changing priorities, we’re looking forward to a brighter future. 

While we remain mindful of social distancing and staying safe at this year’s conference, we want to encourage you to engage with the taster briefings and expand on them during the networking sessions. Look out for members of the LEP executive team, fellow board directors, and other key development partners who will be in attendance to build on discussions and answer your questions. 

I’m looking forward to seeing both old friends and new faces at the Lincolnshire Showground on Tuesday 2nd November 2021 for what promises to be a memorable conference. 

Pat Doody  

Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP

 

Register your place for the LEP's Annual Conference here.