Regional Growth Network

The Rural Growth Network (RGN) Pilot Initiative was set up in 2012 with £12.5m from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and £1.6m from Government Equalities Office (GEO). The RGN Pilot Initiative was established in response to barriers to rural economic growth identified in the Rural Economy Growth Review. It sought to encourage growth in the rural economy; and to generate and disseminate lessons around what works in this context. The fundamental thesis underpinning RGN was that a network of “enterprise hubs” (each providing a locally-appropriate mix of premises, infrastructure and business support, and some kind of local network) could provide a basis for economic growth.

After a bidding process, five successful local partnerships (“Pilots”) developed local RGN programmes to effect rural economic growth. The five Pilots were in Cumbria; Heart of the South West; North East; Swindon and Wiltshire; and Warwickshire.

All pilots started delivery from early 2013 until end March 2016, over 60 different projects were delivered through these five Pilot-level programmes and around 9,000 end beneficiaries were supported.

In the HOTSW area, approx £2.9M of grant funding was secured for the pilot, with an additional allocation of up to £1M for capital grants to micro enterprise in rural areas. In total, this grant funding enabled a programme to be delivered with a total cost of £24M, once additional match funding was taken into account.

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    David Ralph

    Chief Executive

    David Ralph started as Chief Executive of Heart of South West LEP at the beginning of June 2018. Previously, he had spent 5 years as CEO of the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (D2N2) LEP from 2013 where he oversaw the development of the D2N2 Strategic Economic Plan and sector strategies, 3 Growth Deals with HM Government to deliver a £1billion capital investment programme, securing and implementing £200m ESIF programme, the Derby and Nottingham Enterprise Zone, the D2N2 Skills Deal and Time for Innovation programme, community fund and led the executive team to develop the HS2 East Midlands hub. He was also closely involved in the proposed North Midlands Devolution Deal and one of the key architects in establishing the Midlands Engine, chairing the officer steering group. Whilst in this role David was a NED of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone, and Marketing NG, the Outer Estates Foundation and a Governor of Nottingham College and on the advisory Board of Nottingham Business School.

    Before the East Midlands, David was CEO of the Have Gateway Partnership working closely with local stakeholders including the ports of Felixstowe, Harwich and Ipswich and BT Adadastral Park across Suffolk and Essex and prior to that was Chief Exec of the Barton Hill New Deal for Communities programme in Bristol and the Nelm Development Trust in Norwich.

    David is a keen sailor, walker and trail runner.