The Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is calling on local residents, businesses and the voluntary and community sectors to help shape the future of the region as it lines up for future European funding.
European funding has already made a huge economic and social impact on businesses and residents in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – thanks to the Objective One Programme (2000-2006) and the present Convergence Programme (2007-2013) which is currently delivering transformational projects such as the rollout of superfast fibre optic broadband.
The new programme, which will run from 2014-2020, will be part of an ‘EU Growth Programme’ financed by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) with a contribution from European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
Aligning the priorities of the new programmes with the LEP’s Economic Growth Strategy will help fuel the scale of change needed if the area is to achieve long term sustainable growth in social, economic and environmental terms.
Chris Pomfret, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP, said: “The next round of funding comes at an exciting time for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Thanks to Objective One and Convergence we have heavily invested in both physical and knowledge-based infrastructure so small and medium sized enterprises are now poised to take full advantage of the next programme’s benefits.
“I would encourage everyone to engage with the consultation exercise so we can capture the widest range of opinions possible in shaping our proposals.”
Cornwall Council’s interim chief executive Paul Masters said: “With the next programme coming together we look forward to the LEP working with partners to showcase the region as an exemplar of how to make the most of European funding.”
A consultation exercise is open now until June 30.
If you would like to take part in the consultation click here.
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