2017 has been another successful year for the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, and I am proud of the achievements that we have been able to report.

Important infrastructure projects that have received funding from our Growth Deal have continued to make good progress: this year we have seen the Lincoln Transport Hub take shape, major road improvements have been ongoing in Grantham and Holbeach, improvements to transport infrastructure have been made in Skegness and a number of affordable housing schemes have been completed in Boston and East Lindsey. These are just some of the highlights.

We have also strengthened our work with our priority sectors by creating a Manufacturing Board and a Visitor Economy Board, both of which met for the first time this year. And we staged two successful and high-profile events: a well attended Manufacturing Conference in September and a record-breaking LEP Business Live in October.

We have been working closely with the Government on the Midlands Engine for Growth and were pleased to welcome its Vision for Growth document at the beginning of October. The Midlands Engine and Midlands Connect have a vital role to play in ensuring that the UK economy is rebalanced and that the Midlands reaches its full potential as an economic powerhouse.

We have also been helping to shape the Government’s Industrial Strategy, and we were able to endorse the White Paper that was published in November. Not only does the strategy provide a blueprint for a prosperous UK economy in the future, it also contained good news for LEPs: we welcome the Government’s commitment to LEPs and Growth Hubs and to the important role they play in delivering business support in the local economy.

There’s much more to celebrate at the end of 2017; to find out more about what we have been doing on your behalf, please read on.

Best wishes for a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Ursula Lidbetter MBE
Chair, Greater Lincolnshire LEP