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Heart of the South West Launches COVID-19 Route Map to Recovery

The Heart of the South West LEP has today (3 June) launched its Route Map to Recovery which outlines measures to help stimulate the economy across Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay through three phases: Restart, Revitalise and Grow.

Evidence has shown that the economic impact of COVID-19 in the Heart of the South West area is expected to be deeper and longer than in other parts of the UK. There are specific challenges here; including reliance on those sectors that are hardest hit by lockdown, especially in rural and coastal communities; a high proportion of jobs are at risk, particularly affecting young people; and the effects of no tourism and hospitality impacts on the food, farming and fishing sectors.

The Restart phase entails supporting businesses to re-open, getting the unemployed into work and supporting the hardest hit sectors. The Revitalise phase aims to accelerate recovery through local interventions on training and growth support; and the Grow phase aims to create a better, cleaner, more inclusive economy with higher productivity and earnings.

Karl Tucker, Chair of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership said:  â€œThe Route Map to Recovery is our blueprint for building a better economy that’s clean and inclusive with a Digital step-change, whilst targeting the hardest hit sectors to enable their quick revival.

“We have the opportunities and the knowledge-base in our area to bring about the right sort of recovery; and for this we need the Government to back us with investment in infrastructure and skills, and to formally recognise our powerhouse economic region: The Great South West.”

The Route Map to Recovery updates the aims and opportunities in the Heart of the South West’s Local Industrial Strategy submission to Government, with Clean and Inclusive Growth being its central theme to re-growing the economy.

As this plan is launched, substantial economic assessments are ongoing to ensure decisions are driven by data, and task forces will ensure responses cover all localities. The LEP is developing its pipeline of investments to bid for in future funding opportunities – including the replacement to EU funds – to prioritise those which best support recovery and growth; and the area-wide strategies that have developed in the last 5 years are being consolidated to produce a single 3 year action plan for all partners to work to, which will be completed by the end of September.

The Route Map to Recovery is available here.

 

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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.