Agenda item

The purpose of this report is to update Stronger City Economy Scrutiny Panel on progress in attracting external funding to Wolverhampton and the wider Black Country.

Heather Clark, Service Development Manager provided an update relating to attracting external funding to Wolverhampton and the wider Black Country.  She informed the Panel that the Council has a small external funding team that had been very proactive in bidding for externally funded projects focusing on EU funded projects.  She identified the funding source and status of the bid for the following:

·         Black Country Growth Hub

·         Black Country Advice Investment and Markets (AIM)

·         Black Country Transformational Growth Opportunities Local Delivery (BCT GOLD)

·         Black Country Digital Passport ·         Black Country Blue Network

·         Bilston Urban Village Strategic Environmental Infrastructure

·         Impact in the Black Country

·         Gen Y City

The Service Development Manager detailed future bidding opportunities and the preparation work underway to be ready to bid when the call for outline applications is published.

In response to questions about the decision to exit the European Union, Keren Jones Service Director advised that where the Council has entered into a funding agreement the project can move forward.  The Panel were advised that there is a risk to funding where the funding agreement has not been signed.

In response to a question about Impact Project, targeting young people who are not in employment education and training, Cllr Hazel Malcolm asked how the impact of the scheme would be measured and how it would be distributed equally amongst different age profiles.

The Service Development Manager advised that a CRM had been made ready and could be shared with the Panel.  She informed the Panel that the project had challenging targets and due to delays only two years of a potential four year project was remaining.  She informed the Panel that key workers had been identified and partners and frontline workers were targeting young people in the most deprived areas. She advised that further European Social Funded projects was currently out for tender and would be match-funded with the Big Lottery. She acknowledged that the project could be monitored through the combined authority.

The Service Director acknowledged that the point made was important and that projects should be seen as a part of a much bigger approach to transform the system. She indicated that the CRM would actually enable people to be tracked through the system and changes can be made to the processes as a result of this. She confirmed that best practice in other places is also being considered and that this was a big opportunity for Wolverhampton.

Officers responded to further questioning about EU funding in relation to the decision to exit the European Union.  The Service Director confirmed that signed contracts would be honoured and where there have been calls for bids the Communities for Local Government (CLG) had advised that these should continue. She clarified that the position for new bids was unknown at this time but that discussions were on-going.

Cllr Martin Waite voiced concern that there had been no intimation from Government if it would step in and fund schemes; he indicated that the Local Growth Fund (LGF) only has a finite amount of money. The Service Director advised that the schemes the Council develops will continue to look to the LGF. Cllr Phil Bateman referred to the Erasmus projects in education and other different forms of funding.

The Service Development Manager informed the meeting that information was currently being collated for the Combined Authority (CA) relating to amount of EU funding in projects in the area. 

Resolved

1.    That the progress report is received.

2.    That a briefing paper be circulated to summarise the amount of EU funding in projects in the area.