Greater Lincolnshire's Local Industrial Strategy is now ready for its next phase

In the new year we launched a call for evidence from Greater Lincolnshire’s private and public sector community to help steer and develop our Local Industrial Strategy – a long-term vision for our economy.

Having a Local Industrial Strategy, supported with on-the-ground evidence, is key to the future of Greater Lincolnshire’s economy when bidding for investment opportunities from the Government’s forthcoming UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Greater Lincolnshire’s final Local Industrial Strategy, backed by a stronger Strategic Economic Plan, will allow us to better capitalise on our unique local strengths and will act as a shop window to the Government as to why our area is a worthwhile place to invest. 

Since the end of 2017, when the Government released a White Paper on its Industrial Strategy, we have been working to develop an evidence base and a list of potential opportunities for the future of Greater Lincolnshire’s economy.

Much of this work and time has resulted in the publication of the “Lincolnshire’s Evolving Opportunities" document in January this year alongside the public call for evidence.

The publicly available document outlines our five key emerging opportunities for Greater Lincolnshire, which are:

  • future proofing the agri-food industry
  • a rural innovation test-bed for energy and water
  • new solutions supporting people to live well for longer in rural areas
  • a high-quality inclusive visitor economy
  • an adaptive ports and logistics industry

The call for evidence closed on 1st March and 21 written responses were received, all of which will be assessed and analysed as we continue to develop and refine the strategy.

Now that we have successfully completed this part of the evidence-gathering stage, our LIS team is working to complete a revised draft of the strategy as well as refreshing the LEP’s Strategic Economic Plan.

We will then present the first draft of the LIS to the LEP Board of Directors at the end of August, with the aim of further engagement with local, regional and national stakeholders until the end of the year.

Greater Lincolnshire’s final Local Industrial Strategy will then be published in March 2020.

This is an extremely exciting and pivotal time for the future of our area’s economy. The LIS has been developed in accordance with the LEP’s primary objectives of making Greater Lincolnshire a better and more prosperous place to live, work and do business.

Sincere thanks go to all the people who took the time to give detailed evidence earlier this year.