Agenda item

          The Board received a report and accompanying presentation which provided an overview on the Halton Business Investment & Growth Team. The Halton Business, Investment & Growth Team run the UKSPF (UK Shared Prosperity Fund) funded Halton Business Support Service and offered expert assistance to local businesses to make them more productive and competitive. They also helped with growth strategies and property searches.

          The presentation outlined the range of current services offered to Halton businesses, progress on the delivery of the funded programmes and a view to post March-2026 when the UKSPF funding ends as it covered all the services provided by the Team. Work done by the Team included signposting businesses to local council services, having one to one meetings and workshops with businesses in Halton to educate them on area like cyber security. 67 businesses were supported between 2022-25 which was the target and 15 new businesses created but they were still checking how many jobs were created.

          The targets for 2025-26 were a lot smaller due to the end of the UKSPF Programme; for example, five businesses had been created with the Team this year out of the targeted 10. Positive feedback from the businesses helped had been received. For the future, the Liverpool City Region (LCR) will focus on business support, housing, strategic planning & regeneration, transport, digital & energy infrastructure, employment skills and health as part of its industrial strategy.

          LCR will look at what could be done to replace UKSPF when it ends in March 2026 by looking at best practices and to ensure that it would not need to be as reliant on external funding. The Team will work with the highest growing and business rate paying businesses in Halton for different aspects and businesses important to residents will be considered. An Economic Forum will be held in early 2026 which 140 companies attended when this was held the previous year.

          It was confirmed that there was no clarity on what will replace the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) as Central Government attention shifted towards combined authorities and devolution. Business rate relief was unavailable under the UKSPF, but the Team will signpost businesses to alternative sources of support, though this gap made it harder for new enterprises to establish themselves.

A proposal was raised that the council should require new developments in Halton to offer on-site apprenticeships for local young people, in partnership with schools and the college.

The Team’s promotional materials for town centre regeneration will be shared with the Board.

It was confirmed that outreach to developers and property agents was conducted via the Liverpool City Region (LCR) network, real estate events, and local promotion. The Council did not have its own budget for self-promotion. The Board noted a need to better highlight Halton’s strengths, for example its transport links.

Halton’s strongest economic sector was retail, but housing and construction employed the most people. The fastest-growing sectors tended to be those receiving the most business support. Historically, European funding did not cover retail services, so retail businesses often seek support directly from the council.

It was suggested the Council explore co-location and flexible working spaces, following Liverpool City Council’s example.

At the time of the meeting, two council officers and six UKSPF-funded specialist advisors worked directly with Halton businesses, with feedback gathered from companies regarding the specialist advisors.

          RESOLVED: That the presentation be noted.