The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership have refuted claims by local MP Jesse Norman, that they have been unsupportive of the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering, NMiTE, which is set to be a provider of higher education in the county.

The MP used his first Westminster Hall debate of the decade, on Tuesday, January 21st, to highlight what he called: "The atrocious behaviour of the Marches LEP, which for over a year now seems to have done everything in its power to undermine NMITE, our pioneering new university project in Herefordshire."

He said that the Marches LEP should be subject to significant criticism as he accused it of 'doing nothing but prevaricate and delay’. Jesse said: “The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership is committed to supporting economic growth across the Marches. Yet for more than a year it seems to have worked to undermine NMITE, our pioneering new university project. I don’t know why. But it needs to stop, now.”

Mandy Thorn MBE, Chair of the Marches LEP said: "The LEP fully recognises the transformative opportunity that NMITE offers to Hereford and the wider region. It has enthusiastically supported the project and its aims since its inception and backed a formal bid for Government funding.

"In the last nine months alone, the Marches LEP Board has approved £8m of public funding for NMITE, which has already funded the transformation of a former school into a learning centre for future engineers.

"This is a highly innovative and ground breaking project involving partners from the private and public sector together, with significant public funds being invested, and there have been complex issues to work through.

"The LEP team and its leadership remains committed to working with those partners to enable this project to succeed."Mr Norman said, in his speech, that the NMiTE could create the possibility of significant economic growth and become a portable model for higher education. He said it was an innovative project which was being tested and developed in Herefordshire but could be taken to other parts of the country. He accused the Marches LEP of seeking to impose an indemnity on the NMiTE even though a Secretary of State had said that no such indemnity was required.