Decision details

The purpose of the report is to update Cabinet about the £10m LCR Business Growth Grant Programme (funded by Regional Growth Fund) and approve the way forward in accessing these funds. Recommendations are that Cabinet:

(i)Authorises the Director of Built Environment to enter into an agreement with LCR Local Enterprise Partnership to deliver the fund in Sefton.

(ii)Delegates approval of completed business applications to the Director of Built Environment’s Invest Sefton service.

 (iii)To note the proposed mechanism and approach to be used to deliver the fund to Sefton businesses

The programme has been supported by the Council’s Invest Sefton service. Invest Sefton will act as application appraiser and key decision makers on grant awards for businesses in Sefton following similar arrangements already in place for the Stepclever Legacy fund. The programme will support growth projects under £1m with a minimum grant of £50,000.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Built Environment which provided an update on the Liverpool City Region Business Growth Grant Programme, funded by Regional Growth Fund Rounds 3 and 4 and proposals for the delivery of funding in Sefton.

Decision Made:

That:

(1)       the Director of Built Environment be authorised in consultation with the Head of Corporate Legal Services to sign the Partnership agreement between the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and Sefton Council for the delivery of the Liverpool City Region Business Growth Grant Programmes in Sefton, as set out in Annex A of the report;

(2)       the Director of Built Environment be authorised to approve completed business applications and the final sign-off of grant offer letters be undertaken  by the Cabinet Member - Regeneration and Tourism;

(3)       the proposed mechanism and approach to be used to deliver the funds to Sefton businesses, including the establishment of a Sefton Regional Growth Fund Grant Steering Group, as set out in Annex B of the report be approved; and

(4)       it be noted that the proposal was a Key Decision but had not been included in the Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions. Consequently, the Leader of the Council and the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services ) had been consulted under Rule 27 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution, to the decision being made by the Cabinet as a matter of urgency on the basis that it was impracticable to defer the decision until the commencement of the next Forward Plan because the Partnership agreement to deliver the fund has only recently been issued by the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and to delay a decision could result in a late start to programme delivery and potential grant funding opportunities for Sefton businesses.

Reasons for the Decision:

To enable progress to be made in respect of developing the process and strategy for Sefton grant awards to businesses.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None - Not to deliver Regional Growth Funding in Sefton would be to forego a major funding opportunity, at a time of financial and economic constraint. If Sefton did not participate in the programme monies would simply be utilised in other Liverpool City Region local authority areas.