Details of the Government’s Round 3 Regional Growth Fund setting out the criteria for application and Wirral proposed submissions.

A report by the Director of Regeneration, Housing and Planning updated the Cabinet on recent activity relating to the delivery of the Investment Strategy and requested key decisions for a number of projects critical to the delivery of investment strategy partnership activity over the next few months, including Growing Places and Regional Growth Funds (RGF), broadband development and the Mersey Dee Alliance (MDA).

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the Director of Regeneration, Housing and Planning and the Investment Strategy Team be authorised to ensure that the appropriate processes are in place in order to respond to due diligence requirements should one or both of the RGF applications outlined in the report be successful;

(2)  officers be authorised to work with Liverpool City Region partners on a potential structure for a City Region broadband team to take forward the BDUK opportunities. The potential cost for the Council will be up to £64,000 which will be paid for out of existing budgets that have been allocated for broadband development;

(3)  officers be authorised to submit an ERDF application for broadband activity, maximizing EU resources and contribute appropriately to the development of a robust application, the development costs of which will not exceed £6,000;

(4)  the increase in Mersey Dee Alliance subscriptions be authorised from £6,000 to £7,000 for 2012/13;

(5)  the contribution of £5,000 be authorised towards the costs of an analysis of the advanced manufacturing sector and its supply chains within the City Region; and

(6)  officers be authorised to explore the use of Growing Places Funds which have been nominally allocated to Wirral to invest in a power solution for the International Trade Centre, unlocking significant development. The funding is proposed to be repaid via the business rate uplift within the Enterprise Zone which has been allocated, in principle, back to Wirral by the Local Enterprise Partnership for strategic economic development.