NEP

The Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) covers the Northamptonshire county.

The LEP is one of seven LEP areas in the East Midlands, some of which overlap with each other or extend into other counties. For further information on LEPs and all the LEP areas covering the region click here.

The following description of NEP is taken from their website:

“NEP is a LEP with a clear objective: to increase the prosperity of Northamptonshire’s businesses by supporting the creation of better quality private sector jobs. It is intended that an extra 20,000 jobs, 30,000 new houses and an overall growth in the local economy of 30 percent be achieved by 2021.”

In January 2014, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published a map showing the rural and urban areas covered by NEP, which can be viewed here.

How to contact NEP

Website: www.northamptonshireep.co.uk

Address: Enterprise House, 30 Billing Road, Northampton NN1 5DQ

Telephone: 01604 609393

Email: info@northamptonshireep.co.uk

Twitter: @_NorthantsEP

The contact for VCS/LEP engagement in NEP is Jane Carr, Northampton Volunteer Centre, who can be emailed at jane.carr@nvconline.org.uk.

Strategy

NEP has made their final EU Structural and Investment Fund strategy available, which provides detail on how they want to spend their EU allocation of money and which priorities and opt-ins they are interested in exploring. 

Their final strategy, which provide an opportunity to look at where there might be a role for the VCS in the new programme and how the LEP intends to work with the sector to deliver the EU thematic priorities, including the social inclusion priority, is available to download here.

Priority areas

Here is a link to the priority areas for the NEP. Below each priority area is a list of individuals within the VCS who are interested in working in partnership to deliver collaborative projects within the priority area.

These pages were developed following One East Midlands Reach & Impact project, in partnership with ACEVO, running a series of workshops across the NEP area in late 2013 and early 2014 to help third sector organisations, funding advisers and development workers start to prepare and think about how taking advantage of opportunities in the next EU Structural and Investment Funds 2014-20 programme.

If you would like to get in contact with one of these individuals to discuss working in collaboration with them or if you would like to be added to one of the lists email information@one-em.org.uk.

Funding allocation

The LEP funding allocation for NEP was confirmed by the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills on 17 April 2014 as €54.8million.

VCS involvement

In August 2014 NEP provided the following information on their involvement with the VCS.

Has NEP established VCS communication mechanism or is working with a VCS organisation that represents the wider sector?

NEP has VCS representatives on all governance bodies, including the main NEP Board. Additionally, we are working with the VCS to develop stronger mechanisms to work with the sector more broadly.  

What recent engagement activities has NEP undertaken with VCS?

We are working with the VCS to develop a strategy to fully engage VCS colleagues in the development and delivery of growth related activity. Specific workshops and consultation events will be held as various aspects of our Strategic Economic Plan and ESIF Strategy are rolled-out.

What is the current timetable for finalising EU SIF investment strategies and launch of the EU SIF 14-20 programme? Will you be running any event, workshops to launch the programme?

NEP’s EUSIF strategy will be finalised as soon as all necessary information is available from HMG, with NEP looking to start programme delivery as soon as feasible in 2015. There will be events and workshops in advance of this.  

Is there any other information/activity that you think might be relevant?

NEP is committed to working closely with the VCS and will be engaging sector colleagues in all aspects of development and implementation going forward.

Useful NEP resources

In addition to those linked to above, we will shortly be providing below a list of resources produced by or relating to NEP may be of interest to you. This list will be added to but we would also recommend keeping an eye on the NEP website for updated information.