The Minister visited Buckinghamshire to hear about the schemes that BTVLEP has invested in to date and how the LEP and partners, including Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) and Wycombe District Council, will deliver the projects outlined in its Local Growth Deal worth £44.2m. Some of the major development schemes visited included the Handy Cross and Hughenden Quarter projects.

The Buckinghamshire Growth Deal aims to drive business growth and job creation by building connectivity to unlock key housing and employment sites and to move people and goods around more easily;  connect people to training and employment opportunities within key sectors;  build links between the private and public sectors at both national and local level to stimulate high quality business growth and connect investors with ideas to tackle the problem of housing affordability.

During the visit the Rt. Hon. Greg Clark MP met the Chairs of seven Local Enterprise Partnerships, who have come together across the Greater Thames Valley – an economy worth over £160bn per annum with over 350,000 businesses, to talk through the recent Growth Deal announcements.

Alex Pratt, OBE Chair of BBF and the Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership and Chair of the national LEP Network, said: “We are delighted Greg has come to see first-hand the contribution we make to the economy and why Buckinghamshire is the entrepreneurial heart of Britain,  together with being such a great place to live and work. We have invited our neighbouring LEPs because we all know that administrative boundaries are not recognised by businesses.”

Cllr Richard Scott, Leader of Wycombe District Council, said: “Over the last few years Wycombe District Council has played a leading role in working with BTVLEP and partners to deliver impressive regeneration projects and new developments. We aim to make the district a better place to live, work, shop and visit – and our plans are ambitious. We’ll continue to work closely with our partners to bring these plans to life.”

To read the Strategic Economic Plan and Local Growth Deal Executive Summary please go to http://www.buckstvlep.co.uk/strategic-economic-plan.