Press & Blog

December 3, 2021 | press news

STEM and Health Skills Centre on course for spring opening

A £6.3m STEM and Health Skills Centre in Bodmin that aims to transform the teaching of industry-relevant skills in Cornwall is on course to open in spring next year. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and Health Skills Centre for North and East Cornwall is being built by Truro and Penwith College with support from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which is meeting £3.78m of the costs through the Government’s Getting Building Fund (GBF).

November 30, 2021 | press news

LEP appoints four new private sector directors

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has appointed four new directors to bring specialist knowledge to its Board.The new directors are being co-opted for a fixed-term of one year and have expertise in research and innovation, project development and funding, the visitor economy and sustainability, and small business.

November 29, 2021 | press news

South West MPs back Cornwall for City of Culture

A cross-party group of South West MPs is backing Cornwall’s bid to be City of Culture 2025, and are writing to Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries to record their support. The Great South West All Party Parliamentary Group, which is jointly chaired by South West Devon MP Sir Gary Streeter and Exeter Labour MP and former Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw, endorsed the bid at their November meeting.

November 12, 2021 | news

Huge step forward for floating wind power with 4GW plan for Celtic Sea

Ambitions to create thousands of green energy jobs in Cornwall and the South West by developing a floating wind industry have taken a huge step forward with confirmation from The Crown Estate that it is looking to unlock 4GW of energy from the Celtic Sea by 2035. That would be enough electricity for four million homes, making a major contribution to the UK’s net zero target.

November 8, 2021 | news

LEP sets out low carbon opportunity for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly

As talks continue at the COP26 Climate Change Conference, the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has set out how Cornwall can support national and global ambitions in the transition to a low carbon economy. A new prospectus and summary film, ‘How Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is leading the green industrial revolution’, sets out how decarbonising the economy is both an environmental imperative and huge opportunity for the region.

November 8, 2021 | blog

November Chair’s blog

Decarbonising our economy is both an environmental imperative and a huge opportunity for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The move away from fossil fuels requires massive investment in new global industries, from floating offshore wind to electric vehicles and battery storage. Investment will lead to the creation of hundreds of thousands of skilled, well-paid jobs in the UK, benefitting the economy.

October 8, 2021 | press news

Cornwall longlisted for City of Culture 2025

Cornwall’s bid to be the UK’s City of Culture 2025 has moved a step closer after being longlisted with seven other parts of the UK for the prestigious title.

September 24, 2021 | press blog news

Cornish MPs back City of Culture 2025 bid

Cornwall’s six Members of Parliament are backing Cornwall’s bid to be the UK’s City of Culture 2025.
Cornwall is among 20 bids from across the UK vying to win the prestigious four-yearly title and be at the centre of the UK’s cultural spotlight in 2025.

September 30, 2021 | blog

September Chair’s blog

We’re going to be hearing a lot more about the Government’s ‘levelling up’ plans in the coming months, at least if the recent appointment of Michael Gove as the newly-named Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary is anything to go by. The move of the Cabinet’s ‘Mr Fixit’ into this role is I think recognition from Number 10 that ‘levelling up’ urgently needs a champion and a coherent plan if it is to evolve from being a catchy slogan into the catalyst for investment, job creation and social change that it can and should be.

August 12, 2021 | blog

Glenn Caplin-Grey on why Cornwall’s creativity and carbon-neutral ambitions are a winning combination

It is here, in the merging of our cultural and creative industries with our environmental and sustainability approach that I believe Cornwall has a unique opportunity to write a new chapter for our region and its future. This is why we decided to launch Cornwall’s bid for the UK City of Culture 2025, and expect to discover next month whether we have made the shortlist.

July 14, 2021 | blog

Clare Parnell on sustainable tourism

With five million visitors a year to Cornwall it’s not surprising that this can lead to pressure on infrastructure, tensions with local communities and impacts on our environment.
Managing those visitor numbers in a sustainable way is becoming increasingly important because it is the quality of the natural environment that underpins the visitor economy.

July 14, 2021 | blog

July Chair’s blog

As the country prepares for the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions from next Monday the long-term impact of the pandemic on the local jobs market is far from certain.
The furlough scheme, introduced 15 months ago, is starting to unwind and is due to end on 30 September. At its peak in May last year it was paying the wages of 8.9 million workers. Since then it’s shrunk to around 1.5 million but we’ve no idea how many of those jobs will still exist over the next few months.

July 13, 2021 | news

New Aviation Centre at Cornwall Airport Newquay

Construction for a new £2m Aviation Centre at Cornwall Newquay Airport has started this month. The Aviation Centre will be the start of a new era for property development at the Airport and provide horizontal launch service operations for Spaceport Cornwall.

July 13, 2021 | news

Cornwall’s large employers urged to support apprenticeship levy transfer

Large employers in Cornwall are being urged to use any unspent Apprenticeship Levy to help local small businesses bounce back after coronavirus.
Companies with a wage bill over £3m a year pay a monthly levy they can use to fund their own apprenticeship training. But after two years any unspent funds go to the Treasury and into the national UK apprenticeship pot.

July 13, 2021 | news

Cornwall’s Housing Market – Business Impact Survey

There is growing evidence that the ability of employers in Cornwall to hire or retain staff is being impacted by a lack of available housing.
This short survey has been co-commissioned by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, Cornwall Chamber, FSB, the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Growth Hub and business groups in Cornwall to help assess the scale of the issue and inform future housing policy.

June 7, 2021 | blog

June Chair’s blog: Cornwall’s gift to the G7 – a vision of a green and sustainable economy

As some of the most powerful world leaders descend upon Cornwall this week, they come with heavy shoulders; tackling a global pandemic and its impact on health and economic policy, and changing course on climate change to create a green future.

June 14, 2021 | press

Cornwall to bid for City of Culture 2025

Cornwall has announced its intention to bid for City of Culture 2025 in a move that would put the UK’s cultural spotlight on the far South West for a year. The official announcement comes at the end of the G7 Summit of world leaders which has been taking place in Carbis Bay on Cornwall’s Atlantic coast.

June 6, 2021 | press

LEP showcases Cornwall ahead of G7 Summit

A campaign to change perceptions of Cornwall and showcase what it can offer the world ahead of the G7 Summit is attracting international attention.
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has produced a series of briefings aimed at national and international journalists covering the event from June 11-13 in Carbis Bay.

April 29, 2021 | press

Foundry Business Park welcomes first businesses thanks to LEP support

A new £2m business park at Porthleven, backed with £700,000 of investment from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), has welcomed its first occupants.

April 17, 2021 | blog

G7 opportunity to position our region at the forefront of a green industrial revolution

In just six weeks’ time world leaders will arrive in Cornwall for the start of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay from June 11-13, writes Mark Duddridge.

April 15, 2021 | press

Support your workers with a Mid-Life MOT

Employers across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are being invited to an online event next week about how they can support the over-50s in the workplace with a ‘Mid-Life MOT’.

April 10, 2021 | blog

Cornwall’s role in Global Britain

As the Government publishes its integrated security and defence review, Mark Duddridge outlines Cornwall’s role in a Global Britain.

March 20, 2021 | blog

The unequal impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in Cornwall

Frances Brennan looks at how the coronavirus pandemic has heightened inequalities in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

March 10, 2021 | blog

DSP Blog: International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the achievements of women from around the world.

March 1, 2021 | press

Pupils showcase importance of digital skills for careers in Cornwall

A group of Cornish school children has produced a series of videos to showcase how digital skills can help young people succeed in a wide variety of careers.

February 24, 2021 | press

LEP investment boosts Cornish cheddar production

A £3.2m investment from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership is boosting production of one of the UK’s best known cheeses.

February 20, 2021 | blog

Agri-blog for February Newsletter

The way farm businesses become, or remain profitable, is likely to change significantly in the next few years. Brexit means that payments based on area farmed under the EU’s Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) will be phased out over the next 7 years.

February 12, 2021 | press

New appointment to Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP Board

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has appointed a new non-executive director.

February 11, 2021 | blog

Chairs Blog – February 2021

Now that the Prime Minister’s timeline for reopening the UK economy has been published, all eyes will be turning to next week’s Budget.

February 10, 2021 | press

Business leaders back calls for more Government grant support

Business leaders across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are backing calls for more grant support from Government after the latest round of funding for pandemic-hit local businesses was over-subscribed by £14.5m.