The chairman of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership George Beveridge is to step down from the role after seven years.

Mr Beveridge said it “felt like the right time” to stand down from the unpaid position he has held since the creation of the partnership back in 2011.

He cited the development of a Local Industrial Strategy to take Cumbria forward in to the 2030s as an opportunity to hand over the reins of an organisation that brings together local authorities and the private sector to determine local economic priorities and to drive growth and create jobs.

The recruitment process for a new chair of Cumbria LEP will be announced shortly.

Mr Beveridge said: “I am very proud and privileged to have been chair of Cumbria LEP since it was set up – and of the LEP’s achievements during that period. The role of chair involves a substantial time commitment and the last seven years have been hard work, but extremely satisfying.”

During his tenure more than £60m of funding has been secured from the Government’s Growth Deal programme to help support a wide range of projects designed to accelerate economic growth in the county.

Large scale Cumbria LEP-backed projects include the regeneration of the Barrow Waterfront site to transform derelict land into a new business park; new advanced manufacturing centres at Carlisle and Furness colleges; STEM labs at the University of Cumbria; investment in Carlisle Airport; access improvements to the Port of Workington and Durranhill; and investments in road improvements and broadband across the county. Further major investments are also planned for Whitehaven’s town centre and for Carlisle.

Cumbria LEP has awarded more than £4m of grants to companies through the Regional Growth Fund programme, which are set to create over 4,300 new jobs, 4,200 training places for local people and attract an additional £53m in private and public sector investment in the county.

Mr Beveridge added: “I am particularly pleased that we have secured investment to grow higher level STEM skills capacity in Cumbria to meet employers’ needs through investment at Furness and Carlisle colleges and the University of Cumbria in Carlisle. Providing high quality training routes and career paths for our next generation in Cumbria is something I have been passionate about.

“I am also pleased to see much better recognition of Cumbrian transport infrastructure needs through our engagement with Transport for the North (TFN), Highways England and Network Rail. I have been a member of the TfN Board and have worked to ensure our needs are both well evidenced and recognised and the results of that will be seen in the Northern Transport Strategy to be published shortly for consultation.”

“The LEP will shortly start work on developing a Local Industrial Strategy. This is an important piece of work that will take the county forward to the 2030s and requires a significant long-term commitment from the chair of the Board. Also, changes that the Government will shortly be bringing forward represent a new chapter for LEPs. I therefore felt it is the right time to step down so that someone can be appointed who is able to lead the organisation over the next few years.”

Jackie Arnold, vice chair of Cumbria LEP thanked Mr Beveridge for his commitment to the role, while director Graham Haywood hailed his “unstinting commitment”.

He added: “The projects which he has helped to bring to fruition have produced additional private sector investment and business premises, improvements to transport and infrastructure, thousands of learning opportunities, new jobs, flood resilience measures and better IT and broadband access."

There was also national recognition from Warren Ralls, director of the LEP Network, which represents LEPs nationally.

“George Beveridge has played a key role in the LEP network nationally, as a powerful advocate to government for LEPs, and in particular for Cumbria,” he said.

Mr Beveridge has spent over 30 years in a variety of roles in the UK nuclear industry, including eight years as deputy managing director of Sellafield Ltd from 2008-16.

A founding chairman of Cumbria Inward Investment Agency (which became Invest in Cumbria) and former chair of CBI North West, he is currently chair of Inspira Ltd, a social enterprise company that supports young people and the unemployed to achieve their potential.