�10m Liverpool City Region fund launched to back early stage businesses and power UK growth

A new �10m Seed Fund designed to accelerate the growth of innovative early stage businesses across the Liverpool City Region was officially unveiled today.

The LCR Seed Fund will support innovative scale up businesses with high growth potential, offering a vital alternative to traditional grant and debt financing.

Open to businesses across all sectors, the fund particularly encourages applications from companies operating in the Region's key growth areas: Advanced Manufacturing, Digital and Creative Industries, and Health and Life Sciences.

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram announced the fund at the LCR Talking Business Conference, the Region's annual summit for business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Launching the fund, the Mayor said:- "Small businesses are the bedrock of our economy; not just here in the Liverpool City Region, but across the country. They make up 99% of all companies in our area and are the engine of innovation, opportunity and job creation. But I hear all too often from local entrepreneurs that, when it comes to scaling up, the support just isn't there; especially outside London. We're stepping in with a �10m fund in an effort to help turn great local ideas into thriving national success stories. I want to back local talent, create high quality jobs, and give people the chance to build something for themselves and their community. When local businesses grow, it's not just good for our Region but for the national economy too."

With investment opportunities ranging from:- �250,000 to �2m, the fund will target businesses that can demonstrate innovative products or services, a clear route to market, and strong potential to scale.

The initiative is expected to not only improve the success rate of scale ups, but also attract inward investment and enhance the broader business support ecosystem across the City Region.

The fund will be managed by AXM Venture Capital Limited.

Rupert Wingate-Saul, Investment Director at AXM Venture Capital Limited, commented:- "We are delighted to have been awarded the mandate to manage the LCR Seed Fund and build on our success in investing in the Liverpool City Region from the North West Fund 4 Digital and Creative. We are excited by the applications we have already received and look forward to helping successfully grow innovative scale ups across the Region."

Applications for the LCR Seed Fund are now open.

The fund is designed to help the City Region reach its target of spending 5% of its economy on research and development (R&D) by 2030; nearly double the national target.

The LCR Seed Fund is a key part of the Mayor's wider strategy to fuel business growth and generate high quality jobs. This comprehensive support network, much of it supported through the City Region's UKSPF funding, is accessed through Growth Platform, the Combined Authority's dedicated business support service.

It includes funds such as the �53m Chrysalis Fund, the �25m LCR Urban Development Fund, the �20 million Flexible Growth Fund, and specialist support including:- that provided by the Race Equality Hub and local authority teams.

By working closely with key partners such as:- Form, Lyva Labs, and Kindred, the Mayor is making it easier for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and businesses across all sectors to unlock their full growth potential.

England faces 5 billion litre public water shortage by 2055 without urgent action

ENGLAND'S public water supply could be short by 5 billion litres a day by 2055 without urgent action to futureproof resources, the Environment Agency has warned.

Climate change, population growth, and environmental pressures are impacting supplies with the predicted shortfall equivalent to a 3rd of our current daily use; or the volume of 4.5 Wembley Stadiums.

A further 1 billion litres a day will also be needed to:- generate energy, grow our food, and power emerging technologies.

The analysis is outlined by the Environment Agency's National Framework for Water Resources. The report, published every 5 years, sets out the actions required by water companies, regulators, businesses, and the public to best manage water usage into the future.

The EA expects 60% of this deficit to be addressed by water companies managing demand and dramatically reducing leaks. The remaining 40% would come from boosting supply, including:- the building of new reservoirs and water transfer schemes.
The Government has secured �104 billion in private sector spending in water company infrastructure over the next 5 years, including:- �8 billion committed to boost water supply and manage demand.

Further recommendations and actions include:-

Leakage: The EA will continue to work with financial regulator Ofwat on water company pledges to cut leakage by 17% in the next 5 years and by 50% by 2050.
Smart meters: Water companies have committed to the vital rollout of 10 million more smart meters to help customers understand how much they use; and reveal where wastage may be in their homes and businesses. The average person on a meter uses 122 litres per day, compared to 171 litres without.
Efficiency labelling: Household appliances, such as:- dishwashers, toilets, and showers, can be more efficient and the EA will continue to work with Government on a mandatory efficiency labelling scheme.
Infrastructure: Water company plans includes:- 9 new desalination schemes, 10 new reservoirs and7 new water recycling schemes by 2050.

Environment Agency Chair, Alan Lovell, said:- "The nation's water resources are under huge and steadily increasing pressure. This deficit threatens not only the water from your tap but also economic growth and food production. Taking water unsustainably from the environment will have a disastrous impact on our rivers and wildlife. We need to tackle these challenges head-on and strengthen work on co-ordinated action to preserve this precious resource and our current way of life."

Each Region has specific needs related to industry and geography. Since the Environment Agency's last framework was released in 2020, 5 Regional water resources groups have either been established or bolstered to develop plans that identify each area's individual needs.

Between:- 2030 and 2055, the North of England will need an additional 345 Ml/d for:-

Drought Resilience: 70 Ml/d.
Population change: 99 Ml/d.
Environmental improvements: 109 Ml/d.
Climate change: 60 Ml/d.

An additional 22 Ml/d will be required for industry (such as:- food and drink production, metal production, chemicals industry), agriculture and power generation.

Regional planning is driving positive change in the North of England, where water companies collaborate with industries and regulators to share knowledge and take a long term view of water resources planning through Water Resources North.

RAPID (Regulators' Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development) has also been formed by regulators EA, Ofwat and the DWI (Drinking Water Inspectorate) to accelerate the development of large infrastructure projects. 

Ofwat Chief Executive, David Black, said:- "We recognise the unprecedented pressures on our water resources and the ambition to further cut abstraction to improve river health, which we strongly support. This is why we announced �8bn of funding at Price Review 2024 to deliver the required action across the sector to secure our future water supplies. Boosting supply through building critical water infrastructure is essential to safeguard supplies of drinking water. The way is now clear for the water industry to build on the success of the recently opened �5 billion Thames Tideway project by stepping forward to deliver an expanded pipeline of 30 major projects which we need in England and Wales."

Emerging industries, such as:- data centres and hydrogen production, require vast amounts of water to cool their systems and the EA wants businesses to explore more options for using non-potable water; perfectly usable but not for human consumption.

Additional changes are also needed for some abstraction practices; the taking of water from:- rivers, lakes, and groundwater for public and business use. The EA wants more sustainable solutions, in some cases, easing the strain on environmentally sensitive sites, such as chalk streams.

The regulator wants homes to become more efficient to support development and the environment. Schemes in Sussex, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk have previously been delayed because of limited water supply.

Water shortages can lead to lower crop yields and higher food prices, and the EA is helping groups of farmers to identify how they can improve their supply resilience, for example by sharing water rights and building jointly owned reservoirs

There are also small steps the general public can take. These include:-

Shortening showers.
Turning off taps when brushing teeth.
Using full loads for washing machines and dishwashers.
Collecting rainwater for garden use.
Deleting old emails to reduce pressure on data centre servers.

Currently, United Utilities reminds customers to use water wisely as demand set to increase in warm weather . While there has been a spell of wetter weather, this comes on the back on what has been the warmest spring since records began in 1884.
During warmer periods, demand for water significantly increases and last month customers used an extra 70 million litres of water a day, that�s enough water to supply the Town of Blackpool and the entire Fylde coast area.!

Water levels in rivers, lakes, groundwaters and reservoirs have seen improvement, but remain lower than average for this time of year with current reservoir levels standing at 64.6% compared to an average of 82%.

Grant Batty, Water Services Director at United Utilities, said:- "As we enjoy warmer weather, we see demand for water rise. On average, a person uses around 140 litres of water per day for showers and washing but this often increases when the sun shines. It really makes a difference if we can do everything we can around the home and in the garden to avoid any unnecessary waste because every drop really does count and especially in the context of the driest start to the year we�ve experienced for many years. We are continuing to carefully manage our own water supply through our vast integrated network of pipes to move water around from one part of the region to another, where it is needed. Throughout May we also brought an additional 75 million litres of drinking water a day in to supply and we are currently investing in our infrastructure to bring a further 25 million litres online."

Tackling leaks is also a huge priority. Since the start of the year, 22,000 leaks have been reported, with nearly 1,000 leaks being fixed a week thanks to a strong customer response - saving more than 3.5 million litres of water a day.

Grant Batty added:- "We had a fantastic response from our communities in reporting leaks and thanks to their support we are finding and fixing more leaks than ever before. We would really encourage customers to continue to report any leaks to us."

Nicci Russell, CEO of not for profit organisation Waterwise, said:- "Small changes at home; like fixing leaky loos, taking shorter showers, turning the tap off while brushing your teeth, or using a watering can instead of a hose; really do add up. These actions help keep water flowing for everyone, protect our environment, and can save you money too. If we all did just one thing, the impact would be huge."

Karen Gibbs, Senior Leader for the Environment at the Consumer Council for Water, added:- "Shortening showers by just two minutes and only using your washing machine with a full load will not only save a lot of water but also cut your energy and water costs by around �100 a year. Simple steps like these can make a big difference with little effort."

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�10m Liverpool City Region fund launched to back early stage businesses and power UK growth

England faces 5 billion litre public water shortage by 2055 without urgent action