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Mayor slams "draconian"
cut to European funding
MAYOR of Liverpool Joe
Anderson fears European funding to Liverpool City Region will be
slashed by up to £290 million. It follows a meeting last week
between representatives from Liverpool and Sheffield and Whitehall
officials, during which they were told to expect funding for
2014 to 2020 equivalent to the last 3 years of the current European
programme. City region officials estimate this will result in a 65% cut
compared to the 2000-2013 programme, which has seen the area receive
around £440 million.
It follows the Government's decision to take £650 million of
European Union funding; which the European Commission had awarded
to England for 2014 to 2020; and reallocate it to Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland. It includes an estimated £350 million which
the European Commission had ring-fenced for poorer areas (known as
transition regions) such as Liverpool City Region.
Liverpool City Region estimates the European Commission will have
allocated it around £300 million from 2014 to 2020. But following the
Government's amendments, there are fears this could be reduced by a
half, to around £150 million.
In a letter to Business Minister Michael Fallon, Mayor Anderson says
he is "struggling to understand" how the government
can justify its rationale of protecting devolved regions from cuts,
when the impact on Liverpool will be a "draconian" cut to an
area with a lower GDP than Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Mayor of Liverpool and Chair of Liverpool City Region Cabinet, Joe
Anderson, said:- "What is being proposed flies in the face of
the whole purpose of the funding.
It is explicitly designed to help areas such as ours which are
lagging behind, to improve their economic performance. Instead we
have a situation where the funding is effectively being robbed, and
given to areas which aren't as badly off.
We are in the ludicrous position where we will lose out, while
wealthier and more prosperous areas will gain.
I am asking the Minister to review the decision on funding
allocations, which are plainly and unfairly penalising areas such as
Liverpool City Region. I will also be seeking the views of the
European Commissioner."
From 2007 to 2013 Liverpool City Region received around £460 million
from the European Social Fund and European Regional Development
Fund.
Liverpool and Sheffield argue that a safety net should be applied to
the new funding allocations to limit the reduction. This is the
rationale the Government used to transfer the money to Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland.
Mayor Anderson is also raising the issue with the European
Commission and MEPs.
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Charities go
online to claim gift aid
MORE than 12,000 charities
have registered with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to claim gift aid
online since a new online service was launched 8 weeks ago.
The service, introduced in April, makes claiming gift aid repayments
faster for charities and sports clubs. From 30 September, HMRC
will stop accepting Gift Aid repayment claims on R68i forms and
users will be required to use the Charities Online service to make
claims.
Andrew Edwards, HMRC's Head of Charities, said:- "Using
Charities Online to make a repayment claim is quick and easy. We
worked extensively with charities to develop the online service in
response to their feedback. It is a significant step towards
reducing the process for charities to complete their claims."
Online claims are usually paid within three working days, as opposed
to 26 days using the old R68i paper claim form.
HMRC has written to 87,000 charities and Community Amateur Sports
Clubs (CASCs) to tell them that they can now enroll to make
repayment claims through the HMRC website.
Charities can get information on how to use the system from the HMRC
website.
Those that do not have access to the internet will have to use the
ChR1 paper form to make claims, available by calling HMRC Charities
Helpline on:- 0845 302 0203.
JCI Liverpool is getting ready for
the 2014 Business Growth Festival.
WE would like to thank JCI
Liverpool inviting us, on 26 June 2013, to attended a fantastic
event as part of Accelerate 2013, the International Business Growth
Festival warm up. The event was held at Hill Dickinson and was
attended by city leaders, including the Lord Mayor of Liverpool Gary
Millar, Cllr Nick Small and David Wareing (Senior Partner at Hill
Dickinson). Part of this event was a Public Speaking competition
that was won by JCI Liverpool members John Haynes and Michelle
Fellowes. The received an award that was sponsored by Global
Payments. Also food was provided in the form of a fantastic spread,
by Liverpool's Ichi Noodle Restaurant. |
