Cheshire and WarringtonEnterprisePartnership Update:
Report No 7: June/July2014
Report by Chris Baker, Voluntary Sector LEP Representative
Strategic Economic Plan/Local Growth Fund – Good News:
Cheshire and Warrington Enterprise Partnership has been awarded £142.7m in funding from the government’s £2billion Local Growth Fund. £20.1m has been confirmed in the first year, and as part of the government’s ongoing commitment to the LEP, it has provided an indicative award of a further £122.6m of funding from 2016/17 onwards.
This funding is for ‘Big Ticket’ projects which include improvements in Transport, Logistics and the Cheshire Science Corridor (life science business cluster at the AlderleyPark campus and the Thornton Development). The key features of the deal are:
- Enabling housing and employment sites
- Supporting the expansion of science and innovation
- Growing the local skills and business base
Details of the Cheshire and Warrington Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal can be found at:
European Strategic Implementation Funding Strategy (ESIF) 2014-20: The LEP is currently finalising/agreeing Memorandums of Understanding/Partnership Agreements with the Opt-In organisations: Skills Funding Agency (SFA), Dept of Work and Pension (DWP) and BIG Lottery. These organisations will provide the match funding for the European Funds allocated to Cheshire and Warrington.
Activity is now stepping up a pace to ensure that processes are in place prior to commencement of delivery programmes from April 2015 onwards. All this activity is still subject to approval of Operational Programmes by the European Commission.
Thematic Strategic Boards: It has taken longer to mobilise the Strategy Boards than originally anticipated and this is still not been progressed. The Skills and Employment Strategy Board (SESB) is still the only fully operating strategic board. The current VCS representative on the Skills Board is Alison Cullen, Warrington Voluntary Action. I also attend as a LEP Board member.
Skills Board: A sub group of the LEP Skills Board has started to develop its project specifications in preparation for the first Invitations to Tender (ITTs). These are subject to agreement by the full Skills Board in September but are in line with the Thematic Objectives 8, 9 and 10. It is likely that the first ITTs will provide up to 3 year funding for project activity. The earliest calls for bids will be early in the New Year. Do check the Thematic Objectives to identify if your current or potential activity meets with LEP priorities. The link to the ESIF document is
Opt-In: BIG Lottery Partnership Development Fund launched: Discussions with BIG Lottery are still taking place. However, BIG have now launched the promised fund to support the development of local delivery partnerships.
This funding is Lottery funding and NOT European Social Fund (ESF). BIG will make a single programme development grant in each of the LEP areas engaged with BIG – in Cheshire and Warringtonthe grant has now been confirmed as £20K.
This funding is aimed at an organisation or partnership which can communicate out across the sub-region to inform and mobilise the sector, providing information on the LEP’s local plans and strategies as well as support the development of a local delivery pipeline.
For more information follow this link:
Once this fund is awarded there will be a series of events in the Autumn – please ensure you attend. Actual project activity will not start until next year. The LEP is currently working with BIG to agree the project specifications for this activity.
Opt-In: Skills Funding Agency (SFA): As stated above the initial project specifications are being drawn up. SFA will issue ITTs through its current portal. If you are not registered with the SFA as a provider you should make every effort to sign up to the registered provider list. This portal opens at certain times of the year (currently closed but you can read the guidance). If you need support you can approach one of the VCS Infrastructure Organisations. To register go to:
Want to know more?
I’m happy to discuss your views/concerns about LEP activity and future funding and am willing to take back any issues to the LEP on your behalf – so please do get in touch. You can contact my by phone on: 0771 2827734 OR email me on (note I am no longer using the LTCW email address so don’t use it).
Also worth noting Network for Europe will be holding an event on European Funding with Liverpool CVS on 1st August – to book:
Chris Baker,
VCS/LEP Representative
21 July 2014