KENT NEWS: Senior members of the Federation of Small Businesses in Kent and Medway will be meeting colleagues from Essex to discuss the creation of a joint quango for the two counties.

The coalition government has announced that Regional Development Agencies are to be scrapped and replaced with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP).

Now the Kent and Essex FSBs will meet on Wednesday, August 4, to discuss whether an LEP joining the two counties would benefit local businesses.

Kent and Medway FSB chairman, Roger House, said: "The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles MP, has made clear in a media statement that he expects the FSB to be represented on LEP Boards and to be involved in developing LEP objectives.

"As the leading business organisation nationally and within both Essex and Kent we will be looking to work with partners to make sure that the LEP delivers what businesses need.

"We understand that nationally there will only be around 40 LEPs so one for Essex and Kent may be the most sensible way forward to access future Government and European funding for business support, economic development and regeneration.

"We know there is a lot of synergy between the economies of Kent and Essex and exploring whether a LEP covering all or part of the two counties makes a lot of sense which is why we are holding this meeting in Dartford on Wednesday 04 August 2010."

Essex FSB Secretary, David Miles, said:  "There are already a number of areas which impact on businesses in Essex and Kent such as the problems with congestion at the Dartford Crossing, the Thames Gateway initiative and the proposed new bridge linking Gravesend to Tilbury.

"We understand that Essex and Kent county councils have been holding some discussions on a possible joint LEP and as the government has made clear that LEPs should be business led we have decided to hold this meeting to see whether there is enough common ground to develop this idea further."