West Wiltshire businessman Paul Johnson has been appointed as the first chairman of the newly-formed Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Mr Johnson recently stepped down as chairman of Melksham-based railway engineering group Knorr-Bremse (UK). His appointment was ratified by an independent panel drawn from the local business community and chaired by the High Sherriff of Wiltshire, Robert Hiscox.
Swindon-born Mr Johnson will lead a 13-strong board with nine members having business backgrounds. The LEP intends to have the new board in place by the end of this month.
Mr Johnson said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to put something back into our community and use the expertise I have gained over my time in industry to support the growth and development of Swindon & Wiltshire’s economies in these challenging and turbulent times.
“Although I have spent much of my career in Wiltshire, I was born and raised in Swindon so feel I know both parts of our partnership very well.
“My first job is to lead the recruitment of the board so that we can quickly get into our stride – identifying the opportunities, constraints and priorities to move our economy forward – supporting the creation of wealth, jobs and new business opportunities for the benefit of all those who live and work in Swindon & Wiltshire.”
Swindon & Wiltshire LEP, one of the last in the country to gain ministerial approval, covers an area with a population of around 650,000 and more than 26,000 businesses. The West of England LEP, which includes Bath, was one of the first.
The Swindon & Wiltshire LEP, LEP, which has the support of Swindon and Wiltshire Councils, plans to help create 10,000 jobs and safeguard a further 8,000 over the next four years. Its priorities include increasing the coverage of super-fast broadband, regenerating and improving connectivity between the main population areas, supporting the tourism industry and helping to realise the potential of the growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing and engineering, information technology and logistics.
Wiltshire had originally expected to be part of a larger LEP with Gloucestershire and Swindon. But that idea fell apart when Gloucestershire decided to go in alone. Swindon then put in a bid to ministers for a solo LEP, only to be told the town was too small to support one of its own.
