BASINGSTOKE’S leading business people have welcomed the news that the Government has approved the Enterprise M3 bid to set up a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Destination Basingstoke Ambassadors – who help to promote the town, borough and north Hampshire through their professional lives as a place where their businesses and organisations have found success – met last Friday to hear how they can get involved in the new LEP.

Among the ambassadors were senior figures from the AA, AXA Wealth, Huawei, RSM Tenon and Centerprise.

Among the speakers at the business event, held at Central 40, on Chineham Park, were Basingstoke MP Maria Miller, Tony Curtis, chief executive of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Geoff French, the former chairman of global engineering consultancy business Scott Wilson, now called URS Scott Wilson, Mike Kellard, chief executive of AXA Wealth, and Mike Rushworth, managing director of Vitacress.

The Destination Basingstoke Ambassadors applauded the borough council-led bid team who put together the revised successful LEP submission after an initial bid was praised by the Government but failed to meet some criteria.

The LEP – which will be business-led – will play a key role in setting out strategic policy for a wide area including north Hampshire as well as parts of Surrey – an area that makes a £25billion contribution to the UK’s economy.

The Enterprise M3 LEP will hopefully be able to tap into a £1.4bn cash pot set aside by Government to boost local economies.

Commenting on the successful LEP bid, Mr Kellard said: “The announcement is extremely good news for Basingstoke businesses.

“The Local Enterprise Partnership will be crucial in ensuring this part of the south east can remain competitive, and can ensure the issues that businesses in this area face are firmly on the Government’s agenda.”

Mrs Miller told the audience that the success of the LEP bid was a real boost for existing and upcoming businesses.

She said: “We have to make sure that this part of the world remains a vibrant place for businesses to set up in.”

Mr French, who was one of the driving business forces behind the LEP bid, urged the ambassadors to spread the word that business needs to get involved in supporting the LEP board once it is formed.

Borough council chief executive Mr Curtis thanked everyone who had supported the revised LEP bid.

Speaking about the LEP, he said: “Enterprise M3 forms a really strong local economic partnership, and I am sure the level of business support was one of the reasons for the success of the bid.”