The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership is one of 38 LEPs in England. Our purpose is to lead and influence economic growth, job creation and prosperity across the Heart of the South West area covering Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay.
Comprised of business leaders from across our key sectors, the LEP Board oversees the programme of infrastructure, business support and skills projects being delivered by 2025.
Responsible for the day to day running of the LEP, the core team supports the Board in delivering the LEP strategy.
The LEP’s Plan to Build Back Better sets out the transformational opportunities in the Heart of the South West area that will unlock investment, create more and better jobs and deliver prosperity and resilience through clean and inclusive growth. The plan is rooted in the ambitious vision of our Local Industrial Strategy.
Clean and Inclusive growth are the overarching themes of the Local Industrial Strategy.
We manage a portfolio of over three-quarters of a billion pounds that we’re investing into over 80 infrastructure, business support and skills packages.
The 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) Growth Programme for England brings together three funds:
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) >
Are you a Business entrepreneur or thinking of relocating your business?
Discover transformational opportunities in the Heart of the South West >
Find out why companies are coming to the Heart of the South West >
Skills Launchpad can help you find information about skills, careers, training and jobs in Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay.
If you are a local business owner seeking advice and support for your business, the Growth Hub can help.
Free at the point of access, questions can be about anything a business may want to ask.
Our Business Bulletins provide a comprehensive summary of business sentiment across the Heart of the South West, along with national and regional business intelligence.
Businesses thrive in the Heart of the South West with its excellent value, quality development sites and premises, skilled workforce and business support. Our strong private, public, education and third sector partnerships are driving the economy forward in this destination of choice.
The LEP monitors a wide range of economic indicators and commissions specific research to ensure our work reflects the latest understanding of the area’s challenges and opportunities. In this section you can access these reports and the evidence base which underpins our Build Back Better plan. Click on the links below to find out more:
Build Back Better evidence base >
Further research undertaken by our local authority partners can be accessed here:
Who are we? > Governance
The LEP is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applicants reflecting the diversity of the community, and we work within the framework of Somerset Council’s Equality and Diversity Policy.
Our lean approach means that Somerset Council acts as our Accountable Body, holding in their bank account all LEP funds, signing funding agreements with delivery bodies or Government.
All procurement and contracts are conducted through Somerset Council and follows standard Council processes and audit procedures. The Council additionally performs an annual audit of the LEP’s business.
Reporting to the Board are the three Leadership Groups of People, Place and Business. These are made up of local business leaders, business group representatives and local authority officers who devise projects for bidding for the funding streams that become available. The people on these groups and many of their colleagues in local councils, educational establishments and other organisations carry out the day to day work of the Partnership which means its core team (that is, the people employed directly by the LEP to work for it on a full-time basis) can be kept to a very efficient workforce of five people.
All our Board papers, Leadership groups’ papers and funding allocations are published on our website in line with our Assurance framework.
You can also find out about all the projects that have received funding as a result of any of our programmes here.
With an investment programme of three-quarters of a billion pounds and with such a broad partnership base, backed up by robust accountability, we are confident this is a highly efficient use of public money that incorporates a thorough degree of scrutiny in its use.
Heart of the South-West LEP CIC, is a Community Interest Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England and Wales No. 8880546, Registered Office, PO Box 805, Exeter, Devon, EX1 9UU.
The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership is one of 38 LEPs in England. Our purpose is to lead and influence economic growth, job creation and prosperity across the Heart of the South West area covering Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay.
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.