Decision details

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has secured in-principle approval for £5.8m European Regional Development Fund grant of which £1.1m is allocated for Sefton. This will support business growth in Sefton through activities delivered by InvestSefton. Specific focus is on small to medium sized enterprises.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Inward Investment and Employment which provided details of progress with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Liverpool City Region Integrated Business Support project submission and sought approval to accept the ERDF grant offer for delivery in Sefton.

Decision Made: That

(i)            the in-principle approval received for the ERDF Liverpool City Region Integrated Business Support project be noted; and

(ii)        the Cabinet Member-Regeneration and Skills be granted delegated authority to accept the ERDF grant offer for delivery in Sefton in line with the advice received from the Chief Finance Officer and Head of Regulation and Compliance  prior to the bid submission.

Reasons for Decision:

To accept the offer of an ERDF grant award of £1,088,415 for Sefton. This is part of the wider Liverpool City Region Combined Authority bid which totals £2,934,124

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Not to apply for EU funding would be to forego the benefits (financial, social and economic) associated with external funding. EU funding would provide an essential component of the future funding of key elements of the council’s Investment and Employment Service from 2016 onwards, and would support the delivery of key objectives for prosperity and jobs. It was considered that this was the only possible method of securing this level of investment to support Sefton businesses the council could pursue over the next three years.