Overview

Unashamedly pro-growth and unashamedly localist: this is the Coalition’s message for the launch of its Enterprise Zones as an initiative designed to foster enterprise and sustainable economic growth.

The Budget provided for the creation of 21 new Enterprise Zones. The concept is not new – it was first introduced by the Conservative government in the 1980s under its urban renewal scheme when 38 zones were created. This time around a ‘vanguard’ of 11 Enterprise Zones have already been chosen based in Birmingham and Solihull, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, the West Country, the Black Country, Derby and Nottingham, Teeside and the North East. Flaws in the old Enterprise Zone model are well documented and policy makers have been keen to differentiate the new proposals and emphasise lessons learned.

This Eversheds’ local government briefing gives an insight into what they will do and what they will look like.