The Government has called on councils to ‘take up the challenge' of economic growth and work ‘collaboratively' with local enterprise partnerships (LEPs).

In the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' (BIS) initial guidance for LEPs on Growth Deal funding, it states the Government expects ‘real commitment' to the growth agenda for councils to work together across LEP areas.

The Government plans to negotiate a Growth Deal with every LEP for a share of the Local Growth Fund. LEPs will also be given the opportunity to bid for some of the £5bn available through the European Structural and Investment Funds for England for the period 2014-2020.

In its initial guidance, the Government adds it expects a share of the money from the Local Growth Fund to be spent by LEPs on the delivery of a strategic economic plan.

It also recommends the better use of local authority assets to help unlock extra resources and LEPs seek match funding from other partners, including housing associations.

In a joint letter to all LEP chairs, the permanent secretaries of the Department for Communities and Local Government and BIS, Sir Bob Kerslake and Martin Donnelly, say: ‘The certainty of funding the Government is providing will enable you to plan for the longer term and reaffirms its commitment to give business-led LEPs the power to make the choices that are right for your local economies.'

The Greater Lincolnshire LEP is putting on a free business event on 16 October, to highlight a range of industries in the local economy.

‘Greater Lincolnshire has a very diverse economy with a wide range of sectors which contribute to it, so we are incorporating as many of them as we can,' said LEP chair, Ursula Lidbetter.