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Published Delegated Executive Decisions

Welcome. This system contains information about published delegated executive decisions, including exemptions.

Decision Number: 0110 2016/17

Executive Portfolio:
Growth (Including Planning)
Decision Number:
0110 2016/17
Exempt / Confidential Item:
No
Ward(s) Affected:
All Wards
Declarations of Interest Received:
None
Title:
To accept ERDF grant for Place Marketing Programme
Summary of Decision:
To enter into an agreement for the delivery of the Liverpool City Region's Place Marketing for Investment programme, with ERDF grant of up to £100,894
Proposed Decision:
To enter into an agreement for the delivery of Place Marketing for Investment programme with grant funding of up to £100,894 The Decision is to accept the offer of an ERDF grant award of £100,894 for St Helens, as part of ESIF Project Number: 22R16P01145 This is part of the wider Combined Authority bid which totals £3,196,792 ESF for the City Region Combined Authority partners. The St Helens programme, including ERDF funding and match funding, will total £201,788 between January 2016 and December 2018
Summary of Reason for Decision:
To create a more coherent and effective city-region approach to inward investment
Reason for Decision:
The ESIF strategy for the City Region clearly sets out a number of fundamental weaknesses in the LCR economy that need to be addressed. These include low business density and productivity and employment gap with the rest of the UK. In terms of attracting inward investment, the LCR brand proposition is unclear and not aligned to City Region vision as a whole. As a result of this there are several fragmented marketing initiatives offering different messages and with different focus. This approach gives partners confusing market intelligence and does not offer the service required to potential inward investors. This market failure combined with a scattershot approach to events and conferences has resulted in limited success for previous place marketing initiatives. The evidence gathered has conclusively led to this project's approach which fundamentally alters the marketing and investment strategy of the City Region by doing the following: 1. Building research and insight into the City Region‘s assets and growth sectors to establish a coherent brand proposition which will be owned by the entire City Region 2. Key market identification and mapping of existing activity which will establish LCR place, and sector specific marketing activity 3. Developing an integrated approach to investment that includes all partners/LAs within the Liverpool City Region to capitalise on major investment events such as IFB2016, IFB2018, Open Golf 2017 and other events & conferences that provide opportunities for significant LCR investment promotion. 4. Target specific businesses both in the far UK and overseas to relocate to the City Region 5. Complementing packages of support available to new and existing SMEs to the City Region including LCRIBS and new Markets II etc. 6. Developing supply chain opportunities created by non-eligible non SMEs to improve the performance of the Growth Hub and existing PA3 ESIF support programmes. The St Helens programme is designed to ensure that St Helens will play a full part in, and derive maximum benefit from, the collective city region place marketing approach - with a particular focus on exploiting the potential for growth of the transport and logistics sector.
Risks Associated with this Decision:
The main risk is the possibility of non-compliance with ERDF contract conditions (which are typically onerous for ERDF funding). This could lead to exposure to financial clawback risk for the Council.
Measures to Redress Risk:
Measures being taken to mitigate this include: (i) The Council’s Economic Development team are managing the programme for the Council – ED staff are highly experienced in delivering EU-funded programmes. (ii) DCLG will be represented on the Investment Board which approves project activities. (iii) The Combined Authority is developing a centralised compliance team to support local authorities in delivering the programme.
Anti Poverty / Human Rights / Agenda 21 Implications:
Attachments:
Please Contact Steve Berlyne - Ext 1750 for more details.