Business Grants

The request was successful.

Dear Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council,

Hope you are well?

I would like to request information about your business grants. What business grants do you offer to local start-ups/small businesses? What is the allowance per business in 2019 and what will be the allowance in 2020?

Also, if possible, do you have information about how much you have given (grants) to local businesses in the past 5 years in your area?

Yours faithfully,

Hana Bednarova

Dalton, Chelsea, Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council

Dear Ms Bednarova,

 

Thank you for your recent request made under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000. Please find our responses below

 

 1. Regional Growth Fund (RGF)

The Regional Growth Fund supported eligible projects and programmes
raising private sector investment to create economic growth and lasting
employment.

RGF was a government initiative administered by Wirral Council and
consisted of two programmes: one directly awarded to Wirral Council and
one awarded to the Liverpool City Region LEP for the 6 x local authority
areas with the Liverpool City Region. As a competitive fund, RGF had two
main purposes: to stimulate enterprise by leveraging private sector
investment to support projects with potential for economic growth, and to
support areas and communities dependant on the public sector to make the
transition to private sector-led growth. RGF applications ran from June
2010 to September 2014. This programme is now closed.

Amount of RGF claimed by relevant financial year for RGF funded Wirral
Programmes:

2015/16: £2,978,143

2016/17: £0.00

2017/18: £0.00

2018/19: £0.00    

2019/20: £0.00

Amount of RGF claimed by relevant financial year for RGF funded Liverpool
City Region LEP Programmes in Wirral:

2015/16: £2,455,837.20

2016/17: £0.00

2017/18: £0.00

2018/19: £0.00    

2019/20: £0.00

 

 2. Wirral Waters Investment Fund (WWIF)

The Wirral Waters Investment Fund (WWIF) has been created to deliver
growth in the Wirral Waters Enterprise Zone. The Fund is designed on the
basis of investing uplifted business rates and/or prudential borrowing
against future business rates uplift in the Wirral Waters Enterprise Zone
up to 2037, to support new projects through grants and loans and generate
further business rates income. This will support the growth aspirations of
the Wirral Plan and Wirral Growth Plan. This programme was commenced in
2015 and is still in operation.

Total fund awarded per financial year for WWIF:

2015/2016: £0.00

2016/2017: £0.00

2017/2018: £350,000

2018/2019: £0.00

2019/2020: £1,900,000

 

 3. Business Investment Fund (BIF)

Wirral Council’s Business Investment Fund (BIF) provides capital funding
to businesses with growth plans where other sources of finance are not
appropriate. The funding is part of a package of business loans and grants
agreed by the Council to support Wirral’s businesses and achieve the
growth aspirations outlined in the Wirral Growth Plan. This programme
commenced in 2015 and is still in operation.

Total fund awarded per financial year:

2015/2016: £270,757.00

2016/2017: £370,478.65

2017/2018: £250,000.00

2018/2019: £75,000.00

2019/2020: £164,999.99

 

You have the right under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
to ask for an internal review of the refusal of the information
requested.  Please direct any request for an internal review to
[Wirral Borough Council request email] and your request will be allocated for
review.

 

You do also have the right to complain to the information Commissioner, if
you are dissatisfied with the outcome of any internal review,
https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

 

I trust this assists you with your enquiries.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Chelsea Dalton

Information Management Officer

Business Management - ICT

Treasury Building

Argyle Street

Birkenhead

Wirral

CH41 1AH

Tel: 0151 666 5201

[1][Wirral Borough Council request email]

 

PLEASE FORWARD ALL FOI RESPONSES TO [2][Wirral Borough Council request email]

 

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