A local partnership for local people?

The row this week over the choice of chairman at the new Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for the city and county provides an interesting take on the 'localism' debate.

Prime Minister David Cameron's flagship policy is about decisions being made at grassroots instead of them being imposed by central Government or a regional quango.

LEPs lie at the heart of this philosophy. The partnerships, which replace Labour's regional development agencies, are designed to bring together local businesses and councils in helping to grow the local economy.

The spat between Leicester Shire Business Council, which will choose the chairman, and county council leader David Parsons, who as one of the senior politicians overseeing the body will need to endorse the decision (reported in Tuesday's Mercury), provides an interesting test of the 'localism' agenda.

Councillor Parsons has been accused of delaying the appointment of a chairman because he doesn't like the business council's preferred choice of a local business person and wishes to see a 'big hitter' with the ear of Government ministers appointed instead.

I know who this preferred choice is and the name of the second candidate, who Coun Parsons seems to prefer, but I am sworn to secrecy.

The business council's preferred candidate has a high profile both locally and regionally and a detailed knowledge of the city and county economically, politically and socially. He also lives in the area.

The second candidate is a successful businessman with a national and international profile. He also has the ear of ministers, but his detailed knowledge of the city and county and its specific economic needs are questionable. He also does not live in the area.

I don't know if it's just me, but a non-local person heading the local element of key part of a political philosophy known as 'localism' seems at best contradictory and at worse hypocritical.

By the way, Coun Parsons said this week he wanted the LEP chairman's appointment delayed so the city's elected mayor - chosen on May 5 - can decide whether they want to take on the role. But Sir Peter Soulsby, the likely winner of the mayoral race, says he does not want the LEP job.

The good news is that relations between Coun Parsons and the business council seem to have thawed in the past two days and a compromise may be reached.

But just how local the LEP chairman will be remains to be seen.