Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director of Place

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of Place, which set out proposals for bidding in the first round applications for the European Funding Programme 2014-20.

The new 2014-2020 European Structural Investment Fund (ESIF) Programme was launched in March 2015. The programme would run until 2020, and in the first round funding for projects running from January 2016 to December 2018 £35.8m had been made available to bid for. This remained a moving feast as Government continued to propose to push funding back towards the later parts of the 2014-2020 programme rather than in the early years.

The Council had been extremely successful in securing European funds in recent years and at the last count had secured in excess of £41million from the current European programme.

The Council had submitted bids in the new programme under the Research and Innovation, Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Competiveness, Low Carbon and Technical assistance and the Inclusive Labour Markets themes. Across all the bids the amount being bid for in the first round was £19.57m, 55% of the funding available.

The Council had already taken a leadership role in bringing partners together from across the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP area to develop projects and programmes that would lead to greater economic growth across the City and the sub-region.

The Cabinet noted that the Council has an outstanding track record of securing, managing and delivering European programme in partnership.

This report provided information on each of the bids under the various programmes and sought approval for the Council to act as accountable body and guarantor for these funding programmes should bids be successful.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:

1.  Note the success of European Funding in delivering the City’s Economic aspirations and to continue supporting the acquisition of European funds into the future.

2.  Retrospectively endorse the submission of bids for 2014-2020 European Funding

3.  Recommend that Council agree the funding opportunity from ESIF as a significant opportunity in delivering the City’s priorities, authorise the City Council to act as guarantor and to delegate authority to the Executive Director Place to enter into the appropriate grant aid agreements should it be successful in securing funds.