CWLEP Chair celebrates leaving a double legacy
A business leader celebrated leaving a double legacy as her organisation held its final annual meeting.
Sarah Windrum, Chair of Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), told its last annual meeting that the group had left a strong track record in delivering schemes from North Warwickshire to Stratford-upon-Avon and Coventry since it began in 2011 – and the Growth Hub it created would continue to provide nationally-recognised business support.
CWLEP will officially close on March 31, 2023 following the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper, after 11 years of bringing the public and private sectors together to drive forward the local economy.
In CWLEP’s 24-page celebration document, which was unveiled at the meeting, five infrastructure projects were spotlighted – the WMG Degree Apprenticeship Centre at the University of Warwick, Coventry Station Masterplan, Completing the Cultural Capital in Coventry, the Commonwealth Games 2022, and Catalyst in Nuneaton – which all received grants from the Government’s Local Growth Fund, Growing Places, or Getting Building Fund.
Sarah said the organisation had worked tirelessly to boost Coventry and Warwickshire’s economy.
“I am incredibly proud that we have had a positive impact on every part of our geography and in so many sectors including automotive, digital and creative, and culture and tourism,” she said.
“We have brought £191 million of investment to Coventry and Warwickshire since 2011 which has been match-funded by £407.4 million.
“We have ensured value for money for every penny invested in capital projects and we have made sure skills and business support were at the forefront. I am also proud of the importance we have placed on improving the wellness of our communities.
“Evidence shows we have continued to perform at an exceptionally high standard when benchmarked with other LEP geographies, which has not been easy especially in the current economic climate. Our consistently strong performance has been thanks to the hard work and dedication of the past and current board members and the executive team working closely with our partners across the region.”
She also praised the work of CWLEP Growth Hub and the West Midlands Made Smarter team who focus on helping SMEs to digitally transform their businesses.
The Growth Hub has helped nearly 1,440 businesses with both recovery from the pandemic and future growth plans since April 2021 as well as assisting Rugby Borough Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council to deploy £2.1 million of Additional Restrictions Grant funding to over 60 businesses.
Craig Humphrey, Managing Director of the CWLEP Growth Hub, said: “Our Growth Hub is nationally recognised by the Government for the strength in our delivery through our account management system.
“We were chosen to lead Made Smarter through the six LEP geographies in the region and are seen as the ‘Gold standard’ for our delivery which has led to being approached by BEIS regarding possible extra funding which is tremendous.”
Martyn Hollingsworth, Chair of CWLEP Growth Hub, added: “As a collective, we have ensured Coventry and Warwickshire is a key location for inward investment and the cornerstone for achieving this has been our united and strong partnership working which we can all be incredibly proud of.”
To read CWLEP’s celebration document, please visit: https://www.cwlep.com/sites/default/files/26116j_-_cwlep_celebration_annual_review_2022_-_24pp_update_web_pages_.pdf
