Greater Manchester ERDF Action Plan - Introduction

GREATER MANCHESTER PRIORITY 1 ERDF ACTION PLAN FRAMEWORK PHASE 2: JANUARY 2006 – JUNE 2008

Introduction

Greater Manchester business support organisations have traditionally been heavily reliant on Objective 2 ERDF funding to subsidise provision aimed at improving the competitiveness and encouraging the growth of their client businesses. A decision was taken at the outset of the current NW Objective 2 programme to heavily front load business support through a Phase 1 allocation. As a consequence the money available for allocation through Phase 2 and beyond is significantly less.

In Greater Manchester the Phase 1 allocation was awarded to 7 business support action plans; Manchester Sub Region (MSR), New East Manchester, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Wigan. A total £73.94m ERDF was made available to provide business support to Objective 2 Fully Eligible and Transitional wards within Greater Manchester.

At the same time 3 regional action plans, led by the Northwest Development Agency and the North West Universities Association, were supported to deliver regional business support, complementary to that delivered through local action plans.

The Phase 2 allocation was awarded to a single Greater Manchester Business Support Action Plan, thereby aligning ERDF business support strategy with the Greater Manchester Economic Development Plan. A significantly reduced total of £10.03m ERDF has been made available to provide business support within a more tightly defined geography of Objective 2 Fully Eligible wards only within Greater Manchester.

At the same time a single regional action plan, led by the NWDA in partnership with the NWUA, is being developed to provide business support with regional impact.

The Greater Manchester ERDF Business Support Action Plan proposal, led by Manchester Enterprises, as Accountable Body on behalf of the GM Forum, was developed within the framework of the Greater Manchester Alliance for Skills and Productivity (ASP) Plan for ’04/’05 (see website). As funding is limited, we need to ensure that activity is more strategically focussed than ever and that services key to strengthening the Greater Manchester business base continue to receive support.

An initial bidding round to allow some activity to commence in 2004/05 was launched in June 2004. Four bids were received of which one, led by Chamber Business Enterprises in conjunction with Bury College, was approved at £300k ERDF and completed in March 2005.

The Framework sets out the detail in relation to Phase 2, full delivery of the Action Plan. Phase 2 will commence in January 2006, ending June 2008.

Applications were received and appraised in October 2005 to ensure their strategic fit against the framework and the Greater Manchester Economic Development Plan.

Eight projects have now received contracts, with activity starting from January 2006.

For more information about current projects please see the Projects page.