FUNDING totalling almost £570,000 will aim to create at least 100 new jobs and 23 businesses.

A report on a review of business support provision will come before the place services scrutiny committee at its meeting on Monday.

It highlights that, in April 2022, the Government released the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Prospectus, with St Helens Council allocated £568,054 via the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to deliver a place-based business support programme up until the end of March 2025.

Approval to accept this funding was granted by cabinet at its meeting in September 2023.

The report summarises the provision available in the borough for supporting businesses, details the offer provided by the council and considers how best to adapt these to successfully deliver the inclusive growth strategy.

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It states the provision of business support in the borough is “complex” – and that a few key agencies provide most of the free-to-use direct business support, which include the council, St Helens Chamber and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

The report says: “Provision of this support is dependent to a large extent on external funding as the council does not currently have its own dedicated budget allocation for business support.

“The UK Shared Prosperity Fund programme offers a key opportunity to put in place business support provision in the short to medium term, but after the UK Shared Prosperity Fund programme ends in 2025, decisions will have to be taken about how to continue providing these services.”

The report says the place-based business support programme in St Helens will deliver a range of positive outputs as part of the business support offer, assisted by the appointment of a third-party delivery organisation(s), with a focus on “local priorities and opportunities that include the upcoming major regeneration investments as well as opportunities in emerging sectors such as digital and socially trading organisations”.

It adds that the St Helens place-based business support programme will deliver the following “minimum outputs”: 104 businesses receiving non-financial support, 23 new businesses created, and 100 jobs created.