Local Enterprise Partnerships and the Development of European Structural and Investment Fund Strategies in England

In England the new Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) were given a unique opportunity to shape EU investment in their local areas; they were given the task of producing European Structural and Investment Funds strategies to help ensure EU investment meets local need. However, while this appears to be a case of localism in action, the LEPs faced a number of constraints. These challenges include LEPs' relative infancy, a lack of capacity, centralisation and uncertainty about funding arrangements.