Celebrating the HEY LEP as it closes its doors and welcomes the new HEY Business, Growth and Skills Hub
31st March 2024 saw the last day of operations for the HEY LEP. Formed in 2021, the organisation has supported businesses and residents in Hull and East Yorkshire over the last three years. The HEY LEP was formed in April 2021 as the successor of the former Humber LEP and in its brief period has been able to help develop the region’s economy in numerous ways.
The HEY LEP is celebrating its legacy which includes:
- Bringing additional funding to the region, the LEP has been successful in competitive bidding, such as the recently announced Create Growth Programme which will provide additional business support for SMEs in the Creative Industries, using the £520,000 of funding secured; this follows the positive outcomes of the ERDF SME support programmes which closed in 2023, and which saw over 2,652 businesses supported over a 5 year period, working in partnership with both local authorities.
- We continued to deliver the Growth Hub service, which introduced a number of new services for businesses over the past three years. This includes the Made Smarter Programme which supports manufacturers to explore and adopt industrial digital technology, as well as the Workforce Development Business Advisor who has assisted local employers to transfer any unused apprenticeship levy funding, assisting smaller business organisations to grow their workforce and gain new talent.
- We have further developed the HEY Careers Hub which supports every secondary school and college in Hull and East Yorkshire, working with Heads, Principals and Careers Leaders to best use labour market information to help inspire young people and create the essential talent pipeline employers need.
- Our Investment Panel has spent a huge amount of time scrutinising and awarding business grants and loans. Up to March this year the Panel have awarded £1,931,422m in grants to 47 businesses, supporting private sector investment of £9,903,993m and the creation of and safeguarding of 73 jobs.
- Our Employment and Skills work brought further recognition to Hull and East Yorkshire for innovation and responsiveness to employment and skills issues. More recent activities include the development of the ICB Inclusive Careers Project, the continuation of the Local Digital Skills Partnership work, and the support in establishing the Local Skills Improvement Plan, working in partnership with the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce.
Our legacy also includes working in support for the successful bid for the Humber Freeport, we contributed information and expertise as part of the bid team led by ABP and continued to be part of the initial steering group prior to being invited to become a Freeport Board member. As well this, working in close partnership with Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership we set up the Humber Energy Board, which focusses on decarbonisation and clean energy on a Humber wide geography. This board has been recognised by government in the proposed Devolution Deals for both sides of the Humber.
In terms of decarbonisation – businesses previously asked the Humber LEP to take the lead as an impartial organisation on the development of the Humber Industrial Decarbonisation Plan, which HEY LEP adopted three years ago and led on the successful launch of the plan in March 2023 – HICP – The Largest CO2 Emitting Cluster in the UK (humberindustrialclusterplan.org)
Meanwhile, our Business Support Board have established a new Manufacturers Network, responding to employers asks and bringing together sector leaders to look at improving productivity, developing the supply chain, and considering the use of AI to improve business practice.
Our new website will be launched early after Easter where you will find details of our ongoing work, including skills and the Growth Hub. It has been a pleasure working with all of our partners, Board and Sub-Board members and businesses across the region, and we are rightly proud of our ongoing work on the wider Humber geography and will ensure that our well-established collaboration will continue.
The next steps in the devolution journey which is being led by both Hull and East Riding Local Authorities will see the development of two new regional boards – a new Business Board and a new Skills Board, each reporting to the Hull and East Riding Unitary Leaders Board. Further details of these boards will be shared in Spring.