GFirst LEP

{{Short description|Local Enterprise Partnership}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

GFirst LEP was a Local enterprise partnership – one of 38 in England – and was responsible for Gloucestershire's Strategic Economic Plan.

GFirst claims that it was responsible for bringing £77m of inward investment to Gloucestershire in 2015 alone. The LEP chair says in the 2015 annual report that GFirst is "the most successful LEP in the country; the only LEP to receive everything it asked for – and more – from Government."{{cite web|url=http://www.gfirstlep.com/Home/Download-Annual-Report/|title=Download Annual Report – GFirst LEP|publisher=}}

GFirst claim they have successfully bid for £113 million for infrastructure projects over the course of their existence.{{Cite web |title=GFirst LEP: that's it, but watch this space |url=https://www.punchline-gloucester.com/articles/aanews/new-economic-strategy-for-county-after-plug-pulled-on-gfirst-lep |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=www.punchline-gloucester.com}} Their work has received positive reactions from local business leaders.{{Cite web |last=SoGlos |date=2023-08-08 |title=End of an era’ for GFirst LEP |url=https://www.soglos.com/news/business/end-of-an-era-for-gfirst-lep/21845/ |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=www.soglos.com |language=en}}

In April 2024, GFirst was dissolved following the ending of Central Government Funding, with its role being taken over by Gloucestershire County Council. The majority of staff have been transferred to the council to continue their work.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-24 |title=Gloucestershire’s Local Enterprise Partnership to transition to county council next year |url=https://thebusinessmagazine.co.uk/companies/gloucestershires-local-enterprise-partnership-set-to-transition-to-county-council-from-april-next-year/ |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=The Business Magazine |language=en-GB}}