DN561413 LWW/RHSS - ERDF

Description

LCC have through the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund ( £443,129) and the Welcome Back fund (£ 443, 129) received an ERDF allocation of £886,258) from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government ( MHCLG) with all monies needed to be expended by the 31st March 2022. The action plan submitted to the fund has been accepted and a Grant Funding agreement has been received by LCC that has been signed off through legal and finance. The find will support 4 main strands of activity 1. Support to develop an action plan for how the local authority may begin to safely open their local economies 2. Communications and public information activity to ensure that reopening of local economies can be managed successfully and safely 3. Business – facing awareness raising activities to ensure that reopening of local economies can be managed successfully and safely 4. Temporary public realm changes to ensure that reopening of local economies can be managed successfully and safely. The action plan will support and continue the implementation of the successful Liverpool Without Walls initiative. The costs associated with administering this grant are eligible for reimbursement up to 4% of the total grant value (£35,450.32). this 4% would be taken from the grant itself. Accordingly we need to now put in place dedicated project support to - Manage the action plan working across directorates particularly Highways - Complete and submit the quarterly claims to MHCLG - Liaise with procurement to ensure that all procedures are followed - Ensure that all ERDF guidelines are implemented This request is therefore based on attaining agreement to bring in additional support up to the maximum threshold of £35,450.32 to undertake the support tasks required that will not only help ensure that we utilise the monies made available but eradicate any potential for claw back due to incorrect procedures being undertaken The delivery of the program will be managed via Culture Liverpool with additional project support from Marketing Liverpool. If we are unable to bring in specialist ERDF project support there is an inherent danger that we will not spend the monies that we have had allocated or that the project will not fully carry out all of the ERDF processes thereby leaving the Council open to potential audit via claw back