News is emerging that the proposal submitted by North Lincolnshire Council for a Pan-Humber LEP is growing in strength and credibility amongst business leaders in the region. Despite political posturing from opposition groups, it looks like NLC are turning the tide on the doubters and mustering support for their bid from both sides of the river Humber. To date 7 out of 10 of the Humber's regional MP's have said that they back and support the North Lincolnshire proposal of a LEP consisting of North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire. Further support has also been pledged by the Chamber of Commerce supporting the unification of North and South Banks in a pan-Humber LEP. In addition to this a survey of 50 local businesses in North Lincolnshire has revealed overwhelming support with companies voting 4 to 1 in favour of the Pan-Humber solution. In reality this would provide the best position for North and North East Lincolnshire due to our involvement with heavy industry. Where the formation of an LEP with more rural Lincolnshire may be more historically idyllic, it would lack the industrial support the Humber Bank industries need to grow and develop in the future. It would seem that a further war of words has broken out yet again regarding the formation of the Pan Humber LEP. This time instead of falling out with colleagues in other councils, Hull City Council members have fallen out with none other than the Federation of Small Businesses. Further more it would seem that a very public discussion has been aired over who the FSB do and do not support in their bid submissions. Councillor Minns of Hull City Council was today reported as stating that the FSB was "relatively" supportive of its Hull City Council's proposal involving Hull, the East Riding of Yorkshire and Scarborough, yet excluding North Lincolnshire. Shortly after that, Mike Bisby, from the Federation of Small Businesses and who is also the liaison officer for the FSB and Hull LEP bid, publicly announced that Coun Minns had made a mistake with that statement. Mike Bisby is quoted as saying "We have never given the impression that we would support a two-authority local enterprise partnership bid. We favour a pan-Humber organisation which would include East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire and even the whole of Lincolnshire." Clearly its becoming apparent that North Lincolnshire have developed a consistent approach with this, and by proposing a joint partnership will hopefully be able to secure long term investment in Scunthorpe and North Lincolnshire from a position of strength. Another potential benefit of a pan-Humber LEP is the potential impact that this may have on tolls on the Humber Bridge. Currently two reports are being written which will be presented to Government in October; unification of North and South banks as a single LEP may have an impact on this and could potentially work in favour of keeping bridge tolls frozen at their current 2006 levels, or even (dare we speculate) scrapped all together!