BUSINESS experts have been invited onto the board of directors at Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

The board has 17 members, 15 from the private sector and the leaders of Wiltshire and Swindon councils.

Set up in 2011 there are 38 LEPs across the country.

SWLEP has access to £140.8m in Local Growth Funding since 2014 some of which has been spent turning the A350 into dual carriageway around Chippenham and £16m project to transform Chippenham train station. It also access funds for new and developing businesses in Wiltshire.

Seven new members have recently been found and will play a part in deciding how Government money is spent across the country. Of these, four are woman, and now mean that 29per cent of directors are female. Chairman John Mortimer said: "Our new board directors, with their expertise and backgrounds, will provide creative ideas, skills and energy to play their part in our work including approving our Local Industrial Strategy.”