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Good Governance

Our Strategic board

Our strategic board is made up of high profile leaders and is chaired by Sarah Dance. The Strategic Board, supported by the SELEP team, is responsible for:

  1. Setting the vision, strategic direction and priorities of the LEP overall
  2. Ensuring the development and maintenance of the Economic Recovery and Renewal Strategy and for determining its key funding priorities
  3. Ensuring that that adequate capacity and expertise is maintained to deliver against 2.
  4. Considering and agreeing a position on major items of strategic importance
  5. Publishing arrangements for developing, prioritising, appraising and approving projects with a view to ensuring that a wide range of delivery partners can be involved
  6. Overseeing strategic pan-LEP support and leadership on skills
  7. Deciding how the activities of the LEP should be delegated
  8. Championing the LEP and the LEP area in all other forums
  9. Supporting pan-LEP activity undertaken by the working groups and through our Strategy Network
  10. Working closely with federal boards to oversee Growth Hub, Enterprise Zone and City Deal activities
  11. Endorsing local areas’ efforts to advance projects for economic growth which may not be directly linked to the LEP.

Strategic board membership

The Strategic Board is made up of 25 members selected by their local private/public sector partnerships or their representative bodies and at least 50% of the members are required to be from the private sector.

Chair

Sarah Dance is a strategic consultant for the culture and creative industries, with over 25 years’ experience in the creative sector. She set up her own consultancy in 2002 and has led and worked on a wide range of cultural organisations and partnership projects, from England’s Creative Coast through to the Legacy Trust’s Olympic and Paralympic partnership project for the South East. She has also worked with many cultural organisations on business and capital development, creative production, organisational change development, and leadership mentoring.

Sarah was named a top influential figure in the arts and creative world in the Alt Power 100 Artlyst 2021. She is Co-Chair of the South East Creative Economy Network and Chair of Creative Estuary and has led the visioning of Thames Estuary Production Corridor. She is on the Civic University Network Advisory Group and UAL Advisory Group for their UKRI funded modelling and supporting recovery of the UK’s experience economy. She is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

View Register of Interests
County/Unitary Council Directors

Essex County Council

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East Sussex County Council

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Southend-on-Sea City Council

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Thurrock Council

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Medway Council

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Kent County Council

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Business Representative Directors (Kent and Medway Economic Partnership)

AC Goatham & Son Ltd

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ROI confirmed up to date 10/05/2022

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Lee Evans Partnership LLP

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Business Representative Directors (Opportunity South Essex)

Glading Consultancy Limited

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Business Representative Directors (Success Essex)
Business Representative Directors (Team East Sussex)

Sussex Chamber of Commerce

SME Co-Champion

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Hailsham & District Chamber of Commerce

SME Co-Champion

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Co-opted Directors

University of Kent

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Sussex Community Development Association

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Delegation of good governance

In accordance with Government’s expectations SELEP has designated the following board members, or members of the SELEP team, responsibilities pertaining to the good governance of Government funding:

  • Maximising the LEP’s connections with SMEs across the area – Chair
  • Ensuring that the LEP’s investments represent value for money – Chair of the Accountability Board
  • Ensuring that business cases are subject to scrutiny – Chair of the Accountability Board
  • Identification and management of risk of all the projects supported by the LEP’s programme – Chair of the Accountability Board

Diversity

Strategic Board membership is made up of the South East LEP’s Federated Boards. All Federated Boards recruit in an open and transparent manner and in line with the requirements set out in the Assurance Framework. All boards ensure positions are open to all businesses within the area and membership is reviewed every two years. Federated Boards have responsibility to ensure the membership of the Board is in line with the diverse businesses community in their areas and that this diversity is fed up to the Strategic Board membership.