Lancashire Enterprise Partnership conference outlines the future for the county

The organisation tasked with boosting the county’s economy and supporting jobs and business hosted 150 delegates attended the event.

It offered an array of speakers who reflected on the last year and the challenges associated with the pandemic, as well as looking forward to some of the opportunities which are emerging through national policy agendas and game-changing projects.

Sarah Kemp, chief executive of the LEP said: “While Covid-19 was naturally very challenging for businesses in Lancashire, and indeed the rest of the country, many businesses have demonstrated incredible resilience and entrepreneurial flair during these unprecedented times.

“Indeed, three years’ worth of innovation happened within just three months of the pandemic, which is phenomenal and shows the fighting spirit which is prevalent in the county and which will enable us to achieve our growth ambitions.”

Debbie Francis, chairman of the LEP said: “Lancashire has a wealth of capabilities and expertise and we need to ensure our businesses and residents are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to capitalise on opportunities such as the Net Zero agenda.

“We have laid the foundations by investing over £350m to help partners deliver capital and infrastructure projects, as well as backing business support agencies such Boost and the Lancashire Skills Hub.

"The positive impact of these are now emerging, with over 19,006 new jobs created or safeguarded and nearly 5,000 SMEs supported with their growth ambitions.”

It took place at the Crow Wood Hotel in Burnley where delegates contributed to the Ribble Trust’s Lancashire Woodland Connect campaign.

Chief Executive of Eden International, David Harland, was at the conference to outline the vision for the visitor attraction project which could transform the fortunes of Morecambe.