The Government believes it is in the best interests of business to tap into the widest talent pool and to have a diverse leadership which draws on a variety of backgrounds, skills and experiences. This is also true of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), and we have set out our expectations on this in the LEP assurance framework. Each LEP must have its own diversity statement, which sets out how boards can ensure diverse representation, reflective of their local business community. This should be used to guide local decisions on appointments to the LEP Board.