Stevenage MP Stephen McPartland is expected to be very candid in his opinions about the government’s Local Enterprise Partnership when he makes an official visit to the SEC Group in Stevenage on Friday 23 September.
Mr McPartland arranged the visit in response to an article written by SEC promoting the benefits of doing business locally. This followed last month’s announcement of a ministerial local growth champion scheme by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
He told SEC: “It is no secret I believe Hertfordshire’s Local Economic Partnership (LEP) should be abolished, it has not delivered for local people and is committed to surviving rather than generating economic growth in Hertfordshire. All the LEP really does is announce funding secured from Government for projects for which funding has already been announced several times.”
The MP is keen to provide backing to local businesses which support each other and is using the visit as a fact-finding mission: “I am proud that here in Stevenage many of our companies do work very closely together and have developed sophisticated relationships that have driven innovation and new opportunities in emerging export markets.”
Renowned for their expertise in warehouse storage and commercial interior fit out, the award-winning SEC Group has been doing business in Stevenage for 18 years and are now a leading supplier of warehouse storage, pallet racking and office interiors solutions in Hertfordshire.
