Full pain of NWDA cuts revealed
THE North West Development Agency (NWDA) has detailed more than 100 projects – from landmark development schemes to sporting programmes – that will lose out on possible funding as a result of the Government’s austerity measures.
The £220m Talbot Gateway plan in Blackpool and a major Sportcity scheme in East Manchester, along with the National Football Museum’s move to Urbis are among projects that were expecting to secure funding support.
It has also published a list of 30 ‘partner agencies’ – including urban regeneration companies like Central Salford and Liverpool Vision, trade bodies, and support organisations such as inward investment body MIDAS – that will not receive financial support after next April.
The agency has been told to find savings of £52m – 18% of its £292m annual budget – as part of the Government’s planned £272m savings across all the regional development agencies. For many development projects such as Talbot Gateway, the NWDA backing was essential to lever in further funding from Europe.
NWDA chief executive Steven Broomhead, said: “We are facing a challenging situation as we have to save £52m from this year’s NWDA budget. We have made a start by cutting non-contracted projects and reducing our own administration budget but we now need to re-examine all existing projects and programmes to identify where further savings can be made.
“We are now involved in very careful and sensitive discussions with our partners about this. We will use all available flexibility to try to meet these challenging reductions but the reality is that this is a substantial reduction to our in-year budget and there is bound to be an economic impact on the partners, businesses and communities with whom we work.”
He added: “In addition, the size of the cuts means that we have little flexibility in our future budgets and the agency will not be able to make any new investments or renew partner contracts before our dissolution in April 2012. The new Regional Growth Fund announced by Government will offer opportunities for the private and public sector for potential new projects from April 2011 onwards.”
Below are the agencies that will lose financial backing from the NWDA at the end of the financial year. Scroll down to see the full list of projects that will not be funded in the new economic environment.
Sub Regional Partnerships (Includes core funding, inward investment and Climate Change Action Plan funding):
Cumbria County Council / Cumbria Vision
Commission for New Economy (includes GM Environment Commission Low Carbon Economic Area but excludes inward investment, done through MIDAS)
Lancashire Economic Partnership
Cheshire and Warrington Economic Alliance
The Mersey Partnership (includes Mersey Waterfront project management but excludes Inward Investment funding**)
** The Mersey Partnership Inward Investment funding continues until March 2012
Urban Regeneration & Economic Development Companies:
Liverpool Vision
Central Salford
New East Manchester
Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre EDC
Westlakes Renaissance (via Cumbria County Council)
Regenerate Pennine Lancashire
Cluster Organisations*:
Northwest Automotive Alliance
North West Aerospace Alliance
Northwest Textiles Network (NW Texnet)
BioNow
Chemicals Northwest
Pro Manchester
Envirolink Northwest
Food Northwest
Call Northwest
*Vision+Media and Mersey Maritime have operational funding until March 2012
Other Support Organisations:
Preston City Council – Preston Vision
Burnley Borough Council – Burnley Vision
Liverpool City Council – City Centre Movement Strategy
South Ribble Borough Council – Leyland Vision
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council – The Southport Partnership
Manchester Knowledge Capital
Salford City Council – MediaCityUK Public Sector Partners Programme
Cheshire West and Chester Council – Chester Renaissance
Cheshire West & Chester Council – Northwich Regeneration
Domestic Energy Alliance – Climate Change Action Plan
Business in the Community – Climate Change Action Plan
Energy Saving Trust – Climate Change Action Plan
Natural England – Climate Change Action Plan
Tidy Britain Group – Climate Change Action Plan
Development Education Project (Manchester) – Climate Change Action Plan
MIDAS
This is the list of North West projects/concepts that have approached NWDA for possible funding but will not receive anything. The NWDA says this is not an exhaustive list but includes the majority of projects that had secured at least concept stage and were likely to request agency funding within the next 18 months.
Media Sector Development Plan – Audio Visual Skills 2001/12
Manchester Metropolitan University – Birley Fields Education & Health Campus
All Souls Church Restoration, Bolton
Preston Guild 2012
English Half Marathon
World Series Netball
Manchester International Festival
Midpoint 18 Employment Site Development, Middlewich
Parklands Plot 5B, Middlebrook,Bolton
Talbot Gateway, Blackpool
Burnley Bridge Business Park
The Corridor Manchester Public Realm
The Dispensary, New Islington, Manchester
The Manchester Sq, Waterloo and St Chads Headlands, Blackpool
Kingston House, Liverpool – Planning Fees
Leyland Trucks Training Programme
Chester Zoo Natural Vision
Crewe Rail Gateway – Main Project
Ancoats Estate Management Company
Crewe Green/Basford Link Road – Main Project
Preston Vision: Winckley Square Public Realm
Whitefield Economic Development Programme
CBC Aintree
Getrag Training Project, Halewood
MakeMedia Centre
Manchester Ship Canal Aeration (Salford Quays)
Trafford Park Masterplan
Parsonage Colliery Phase 1
Royal Eye Hospital, Manchester – Enabling Works
Next Generation Access Broadband Manchester
Citadel – Court Square,Carlise
Roman Maryport
Lancaster Science Park
Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, Liverpool
Liverpool Science Park Innovation Centre 3
National Football Museum , URBIS
Blackburn TC Knowledge Zone – Cathedral Quarter
Sportscity Major Destination Site
West Float Land Remediation – Wirral
Trafford Wharf land remediation
Preston Vision: Flag Market Public Realm
Riverside Park 2b – Wirral
The Liverpool Institute of Vaccine Research (LIVR)
Regional Aero Park – Samlesbury – Phase II
BAE Submarine Solutions Training Programme
Blackpool – Central Corridor Phase III
Horwich Loco Works (remediation)
Church Wharf, Bolton
Manchester – Burnley – Accrington direct rail link
Carlisle Historic Core Public Realm
Process Innogateway 2
Town Wharf, Middlewich
Crewe Vision Partnership contribution to costs
Frodsham Gateway
Faithful Enterprise
Cibitas – Chester review
Lake District National Park Authority – Employment Sites Programme
Lake District Electric Vehicle demonstration
Environmental Technologies Business Park
Solid State Lighting Demonstration
St Annes public realm – Open Golf 2012
Gen-Probe UK Consolidation at Wythenshawe
Aviation Power Up
Climate Change Action Plan Northwest Climate Fund Phase 2
Jaguar Land Rover Training Project
Leyland Trucks Hybrid Demonstration
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Arts Project
Manchester is my Planet Phase 3
Incubation National Nuclear Lab
NW Autonomous Systems Programme – Innovation
Centre of Excellence for low carbon vehicles technologies
Mersey Tidal Test Centre
Preston Vision: Innovation Trail
Royal Institute for British Architects Second National HQ
Rossendale Vocational Training Centre
Rawtenstall Town Centre Public Realm
Haslingden Public Realm
Skelmersdale College Campus Renewal
Co-op Office Development Skemersdale
Stobart Air
Thomas Storey Stockport
Stalybridge West
Trinity Mirror Transformation Project
Wirral HE Campus
University of Chester – County Hall refurbishment
Chester University Food Research & Development
Cumbria Higher Learning
Sands Centre, Carlisle
Centre for Genomics Research
NW Clinical Fellowships Industry Programme
Strategic Affordable Manufacturing in the UK Leading Environmental Technology
Smart Grid Centre of Excellence
Nuclear Fuel Applied Research Centre
Warrington Bank Quay Station Business Lounge & Subway
Nuclear Low Carbon Economic Area
Wigan On Side Centre, Mesnes Park
Turnpike Centre, Leigh
Fleetwood Fish Park
Centre for Exploitation of Energy Research
City Centre North – the Co-operative Quarter
NW Autonomous Systems Programme – Regional Sectors Project
Do these cuts affect you or your business? If so, please get in touch with us at nwoffice@thebusinessdesk.com
