LEP Private Sector Members Issue Mayoral Manifesto

27th March 2018

The private sector members of the LEP have issued a manifesto for what they would like the newly elected mayor to focus on after the election in May.

It is attached here. Sheffield Chamber supports most of the things in the document and welcomed the production of it. Richard Wright, Executive Director added "It is good to see the private sector members of the LEP Board laying out the real reasons why we are electing a mayor for the region and clearly identifying what they have to deliver. "Sheffield Chamber has always supported the devolution process albeit they would have preferred a deal for the whole city region and not just South Yorkshire but that is maybe something for the future, along with the evaluation of how the wider Yorkshire might work together. "The Chamber does however remain concerned that the mayoral powers have still not been locked down, nor that this will be submitted to the government for approval until after the election. There were strong pointers in the original devolution document but that is very different to having a signed off job description and the powers they will have. We know the mayor will chair the Combined Authority but presumably everything else is up for grabs. "Whilst most political parties will field a candidate it would be good to see some strong independent leaders with real economic growth experience also putting their names forward. Is this really going to happen if the powers and objectives are not finalised and locked down? At the end of the day this should be about the best person to do the economic job that needs doing and not about which political party they belong to."