York and North Yorkshire is at a unique moment in time.
A devolution deal has been agreed and a Mayor will be elected in May 2024. As the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) we are proud of the role we played in negotiating the deal and the business voice we represent, will sit within the Mayoral Combined Authority. Then as now, successful partnerships will be at the centre of our delivery and our collective efforts to make York and North Yorkshire a great place to live, work and do business. During our 12 years as the York & North Yorkshire LEP, we have benefited from the relationships built with businesses; local authorities; educational institutions; and community organisations.
All of our partners are united by a commitment to building a stronger, more prosperous future for our region. Through our shared vision and mutual trust, we have laid strong foundations for the ambitious growth and sustainable development that we envisage for our elected mayor.
In this report, we look back on some of the year’s accomplishments, celebrating the region’s forward progress and as a LEP, our continued and proud track record of delivering on our promises. Yet, it’s only through the power of our partnerships that we can make our work and investments go further and have meaningful impact.
Businesses that embrace advances in technology typically progress at a faster rate and we have innovative businesses developing cutting edge technologies across York and North Yorkshire. We have brought tech innovators together with education to drive up skills in future technology and given young people access to opportunities. The award-winning work emerging from our investment at the Askham Bryan College’s Digital Skills Academy is a testament to that.
York and North Yorkshire is an economy built on enterprise with a proud history of small businesses starting and then growing their business, locally, across the region. We need more of this and attracting and retaining entrepreneurial talent is fundamental to our economic success. That’s why we have strengthened connections between business and universities through initiatives such as the York St John Enterprise Centre.
We’ve also had a focus this year on building the investment story for the region - understanding our competitive advantage and promoting ‘Invest in York & North Yorkshire’ is starting to deliver results with an inward investment pipeline exceeding £1bn being actively pursued.
Understanding the opportunities in emerging sectors is critical for our economic and employment growth. As a region we have such an exciting story to tell, with cutting-edge industries within sustainable energy; the bioeconomy; creative digital technology; advanced manufacturing; agri-food innovation; and life sciences. We will champion their success and the opportunities they bring to create new jobs and drive-up investment.
All this feeds into our vision to be a sustainable and prosperous economy as England’s first carbon negative region. We have connected industry, local authorities and research partners to ensure that our energy infrastructure can meet the needs of a growing economy while delivering our carbon negative ambition. We share some of this work with you in this report.
But we also know that there is still more to do, as we continue to champion investment into the region and deliver the infrastructure that great businesses desperately need, while making the case to invest in York and North Yorkshire.
We know our strengths, our fantastic natural assets, incredible places and skilled workforce give us a genuine competitive advantage. Together, we can build on our track record of delivery and create a future that surpasses our aspirations. In closing, let us seize the opportunities that lie before us and continue to embrace the power of partnership to propel our region forward. Like in any period of change, our mettle will be tested, so let’s push forward together to adapt, innovate, and collaborate like never before.
