Finance Committee

FIN(4) 06-12 – Paper 2

Response from WCVA, following a query about the engagement gateway at the Finance Committee’s meeting of 14 March 2012

Correspondence received by Committee’s Clerk from Phil Fiander (WCVA Director of Enterprise and Regeneration Cyfarwyddwr Menter ac Adfywiad) via e-mail:

Ms Davies is right in that Gateway is currently approved to run until September 2012 which means that the funding for groups will cease in July this will then allow us 2 months to shut the project down.

WCVA has written to and is currently in discussions with WEFO trying to secure an extension to Gateway beyond this current period. Our proposal is to use some identified underspend within the project  to run a smaller scale scheme for the next 12-18months in preparation for the new programmes in 2014, whilst this is not ideal it will at least allow us to fund some of the successful projects already operating across Wales.

Funding unfortunately will only be available in convergence areas as the competitiveness area is already over committed, we have also sought additional funding for the convergence area in order to keep the same level of funding available but again unfortunately this is unlikely as funds in the priority in which this project operates is limited.

We are hopeful that WEFO will approve our request but this is not guaranteed and if we are unsuccessful in our proposal then Ms Davies will be correct in her assumptions.