City celebrates £11m funding boost

Bradford has scooped an investment of almost £11 million to stimulate the local economy to deliver jobs and growth.

Two of the most deprived areas of the district have been awarded over £5.4 m in matched EU funding via the Leeds City Region European Structural Investment Fund to support activity that addresses local needs and opportunities over the next five years.

The funding will lead to Community Led Local Development (CLLD) programmes being set up in Bradford to cover the city, Great Horton and Manningham wards and in Keighley to cover Keighley East, Keighley West and Keighley Central wards.

A Local Development Strategy has been developed for each area, in partnership with local delivery partners, business and the local community.

A key feature of the programme is the need for it to be community led, and Local Action Groups have been formed in both areas. The groups are responsible for the leadership, implementation, monitoring and review of these strategies and will make all major decisions affecting successful delivery, including decisions on the allocation of funding to projects.

Bradford Council will be working with local delivery partners Action for Business, CNet and Airedale Enterprise Services to deliver programmes providing wide-ranging social and economic benefits to the areas.

The Bradford Central CLLD area has been granted £1.5m European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and £1.5m European Social Fund (ESF), from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which matched with local funding has the potential to deliver a £6m programme.

The Keighley CLLD area has been granted £1.4m ERDF from the DCLG and £1m ESF from DWP, this will have the potential to deliver a £4.8m programme.

Cllr Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s executive member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “Bradford is known as an entrepreneurial district. This funding is about bringing together local communities giving opportunities to develop projects that tap into the potential of people in these two areas. These Community Led Local Development projects will provide support, education and skills to unemployed people, raising their aspirations and helping to lift barriers to entry to and progression within jobs. They will also aim to support new business start-ups and existing small businesses to help them to grow and expand.”

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