Wokingham Borough Council to join Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership

Wokingham Borough Council’s executive is to consider the council’s membership of the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership. It will also confirm which elected member will represent the council at meetings of the company.

The Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership is one of 24 local partnerships across the country which pulls together key players from business, local authorities, education and the voluntary sector, working together with the government to strengthen the local economy from within.

The intention is that Thames Valley Berkshire LEP will be incorporated as a Private Company Limited by Guarantee with no shareholders and each forum member having a single vote. Local government members will play a role in providing local democratic accountability and providing a route into a wide range of local services which are relevant to securing local economic growth.

The government recently announced details of a £500million Growing Places fund, available to all local enterprise partnerships across England, with an allocation of £10.65 million for Berkshire. This will give our local businesses and organisations the opportunity to make their own decisions, based on local infrastructure priorities and projects outside the planning process, such as the implementation of superfast broadband and investment in jobs both of which are LEP priorities.