A new partnership between Cheshire East Council and Creative England has been launched to provide an initial investment fund of £200,000 to support the growth of small and medium-sized businesses within the digital sector.
The programme is targeted at digital media, web design and software development (including games and app development) e-commerce and software solutions companies who are looking to scale-up via the development of existing or new technology, products and services.
Prospective applications must be able to demonstrate a clear market opportunity and the ability to generate additional investment as well as growth in the form of job creation and/or safeguarding. Funding will be available as equity investments, loans and revenue-sharing arrangements.
The digital growth programme will be managed on behalf of the Council by the newly-established 'arms-length' Skills and Growth Company, via their business engagement team.
Councillor Paul Bates, chairman of the Skills and Growth Company, said: "We are looking to support a small number of businesses with real growth potential and help them with a programme of intensive support and funding.
"The digital sector in Cheshire East is vibrant and growing and we are determined to help ensure this growth in sustained and that we have a thriving and world-class digital sector in Cheshire East."
The launch of the fund was welcomed by Denise Proctor, chair of Weave – the taskforce set up to guide and support the Council's work to support the creative and digital sector.
She said: "The launch of this programme will bring a much-needed boost to the digital sector and support some of our brightest minds to expand their businesses and grasp opportunities in this expanding field."
Fore information on the digital growth fund visit the Skills and Growth Company website.
Photo: (From left) Skills and Growth Company business connector Paul Chapman, Weave Taskforce chair Denise Proctor and Julian Cobley, managing director the Skills and Growth Company.
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History seems to have taught us nothing. Is there not some simple way we can legally stop this continuing nonsense?
From my Council I expect: care for the elderly, Police, Fire, street lighting and roads which are adequately lit and well-surfaced.
As Forrest Gump said: "...and that's about all I have to say about that..."
As to "Creative England" - I thought that this was a body funded by the British Federation of Industry and Government to "help" creative projects. What we have here is this money being funnelled to an intermediary organisation - then it is funnelled on again.
"The launch of the fund was welcomed by Denise Proctor, chair of Weave – the taskforce set up to guide and support the Council's work to support the creative and digital sector". I thought that "Weave" was a private consultancy firm in Congleton and that Denise Proctor was on the Government's advisory quango namely "Creative Industries Council" and also ran other projects.
All in all everything is as clear as mud, - which is the norm in Cheshire East. Meanwhile, the refuse men will be serving the whole of Cheshire East from Crewe - yes, that will be an interesting one come Winter, and the pot holes on the main roads get worse by the minute. Frankly, I just want my Council to do essential services and leave the rest to entirely private initiatives.
Stop being communists and leave this to private enterprise. You are a conservative controlled council. Why are you competing with private enterprise? It doesn't work in Silicon Valley or for that matter in China.