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LEPs were wound up and their functions transferred back to local authority responsibility in April.
Established in 2011 to replace nine regional development agencies, the non-statutory bodies were set up to promote economic growth and establish a closer relationship between the public and private sectors.
Now a new organisation will champion the “collective local business voice” and meet the needs of businesses and economic growth boards in councils and mayoral combined authorities.
The Business Network Board said it will support plans that drive local growth and build local economies, and ensure the voice of local business is heard and acted on.
It said it will help achieve the new Labour government’s economic, business and devolution priorities – particularly in the areas of regional growth plans, industrial strategy, infrastructure strategy, net zero and skills planning.
The organisation will utilise local economic strategies and local foreign direct investment to achieve its aims, as well as working with universities and boosting exports for local small businesses.
The Business Board Network is funded by government and its membership.
Mark Bretton MBE, chair of the Business Board Network, said: “Our mission is simple: connecting local growth and building local economies. The new Business Board Network goes live just as we start working with the new government on their core priorities.
“The bread-and-butter work of business boards, and of the Business Board Network in supporting them, is to help deliver Local Growth Plans, applying a modern industrial strategy and infrastructure strategy to the benefit of local regions, and achieving local net zero ambitions.
“We’ll also be supporting the valuable Growth Hub network as the “go to service” for local small businesses, and working with other Business Representative Organisations and the British Business Bank, especially in overcoming the biggest barrier for growth to SMEs – access to finance.”
David Meyerowitz, chair of the business and enterprise board at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said: “Our role is to ensure that the voice of local regional business leaders continues to be heard by our political leaders. Regional business leaders must collaborate across boundaries to create opportunities and overcome the challenges that face our local economies – it’s often businesses collaborating that gets that done.
“Having a body like the Business Board Network to champion our causes will help to amplify the resolve of our Business and Enterprise Board and our regional business leaders.”
Cllr Tim Oliver, chairman of the County Councils Network, said: “Our County Councils Network report last year made clear that shifting functions from LEPs to CCN members will add another string to our economic growth bow, and help drive the growth this country needs. But we also said there was clear need for the continuation of a network to oversee economic priorities for CCN members.
“A centralised body in the Business Board Network can go a long way to helping oversee regional development, and ensure that we do not lose the strategic economic oversight that will be so critical to future local growth and productivity.”
Chief executive of local government think-tank Localis, Jonathan Werran, said: “For the sake of strong and collaborative partnerships with the private sector that can vouchsafe the effective delivery of the government’s mission for growth at the level of place, we must have a strong and independent voice of business.
“In this context, the Business Board Network will prove a crucial partner around the table for directing good growth in our evolving regional political economy.”
