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North Herts economy

Key facts

The district sits between Luton and Milton Keynes to the west, Cambridge to the north, Stevenage to the east and London, 30 miles to the south.

The district's towns are all linked by rail to London (30-40 minutes) and the north of England and Scotland. By road, the A1(M) passes through the district, the M1 passes just 6 miles from Hitchin at Junction 10 and the A505 crosses the district from Luton to Royston and beyond. London Luton airport is only 15 minutes from Hitchin while London Stansted and London Heathrow are both within an hour by road.

The district has over 5500 businesses, the majority of which are small and medium enterprises employing fewer than 50 persons.

The largest employment sector is hotels, distribution and catering which involve roughly 27% of the workforce. Financial and business services together with public administration and education together accounts for 41% of the working population, with 14% in manufacturing (Source: ABI 2008).

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs)

North Hertfordshire forms part of the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership Area. The Hertfordshire LEP takes a leading role in growing the county’s economy, allocating funding and creating a prosperous business environment for businesses and residents alike, seeking to retain Hertfordshire's competitive edge.

As the northern part of the district is also heavily influenced by the Cambridgeshire economy, the district is also part of Greater Cambridge, Greater Peterborough LEP. The goal of the GCGP LEP is to create an economy with 100,000 major businesses and create 160,000 new jobs by 2025, in an internationally significant low carbon, knowledge-based economy, balanced wherever possible with advanced manufacturing and services.

North Herts Council is working in partnership with Local Enterprise Partnerships to ensure a prosperous economy for the district’s residents and businesses.