Decision details

Working Wirral - Allocation of the Remaining Unallocated Working Neighbourhoods Fund

Decision status: Awaiting Implementation

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Decisions:

Further to minute 393 (19 March 2009), the Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Corporate Services reported that Regeneris Consulting had looked in detail at how the unallocated Working Neighbourhoods Funding of £13,812,312 could be invested over the next two financial years (2009/2010 and 2010/2011) to support the three priorities of Working Wirral to meet the objectives of the Council’s Investment Strategy and to support Wirral people and businesses in a time of economic challenge. He set out the issues identified by Regeneris and with those considerations in mind and recognising that significant investment had already been made in Priority 1 (Competitive Wirral People), Regeneris had recommend that the majority of the remaining unallocated WNF should be focussed on Priority 2 (Competitive Wirral Places) in order to create the conditions for growth by unlocking major physical investments necessary to underpin the longer term developments of a local successful economy and on Priority 3 (Competitive Wirral Businesses) in order to boost competitiveness through support for businesses and entrepreneurs.

 

He set out the recommended allocations and commented that as the investment would be insufficient to meet all the work required to meet the objectives of the Investment Strategy, officers would continue to work strenuously with external funding partners (such as the North West Development Agency, Homes and Communities Agency and others) to bring in the investment required to support Wirral people and businesses.

 

Resolved – That the proposal to allocate the remaining Working Neighbourhood Funding as set out in the report now submitted be approved, including the following commissioned activities:

 

(i) That £400,000 of Working Wirral money is made available to support the allocation previously approved for drawing down ERDF measure 4.2 monies from the North West Operational Programme. This additional resource will be re-invested in the Working Wirral programme if the Merseyside bid is approved.

 

(ii) The Wirral apprenticeship programme, reported to Cabinet in a separate agenda item, is allocated a total of £1.7m of Working Wirral support over the next two years.

 

(iii) That an amendment to the current contract for the Wirralbiz New Business Start programme is approved, to enable the contractor to provide financial planning advice as part of the BIG Business support programme that has already approved been by Cabinet. This arrangement will run until the end of June.

Publication date: 27/04/2009

Date of decision: 23/04/2009

Decided at meeting: 23/04/2009 - Cabinet

Effective from: 06/05/2009

Accompanying Documents: