Wage subsidy programme

Copeland Skills & Enterprise Partnership is offering the opportunity to take part in a high quality wage subsidy programme.

There’s up to £3,000 contribution towards wage and training costs on offer, as well as skills development and workplace mentoring.

To be eligible businesses must be:

• based in West Cumbria
• be a registered business and have been operating for at least a year
• employ under 50 employees
• have a new vacancy or vacated position that is part of business operations
• able to offer a minimum of 16 hrs work per week

To find out more contact Chris Cunliffe on 07385 362978 – chris.cunliffe@copeland.gov.uk or Carol Pugh on 07385 362801 – carol.pugh@copeland.gov.uk

New round of Farming Equipment and Technology Fund

Defra has announced that another round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund is due to open. The fund provides farmers with grants of between £1,000 and £25,000 to buy new equipment that will enhance environmental sustainability, increase productivity, and improve animal health and welfare.

Read more about the fund here

UK Youth and Pears Foundation’s £5m fund to support youth organisations through the cost of living crisis aims to benefit thousands of young people across the country.

The UK Youth Fund in partnership with Pears Foundation has been launched as the UK faces the worst cost of living crisis since the 1950s, with young people facing a bleak future without additional support.

UK Youth and Pears Foundation are both deeply concerned about the impact the crisis is having on youth organisations and young people across the UK.

The fund aims to ensure that as many vital youth services as possible are able to keep the lights on and support young people in their local community. If forced to shut down, these services may never return.

Cost of Living Campaign – UK Youth

Funding opens for large R&D partnerships with on-farm innovations

Businesses farmers, growers, foresters, and researchers can apply with projects that accelerate the development of new solutions and their integration into existing practices.

Details of the competition are now available online. It outlines how agri-tech businesses, researchers, farmers, growers and foresters in England will be able to apply for a share of up to £8 million. The competition will allow them to improve productivity, sustainability and resilience within the UK food and farming sector.

Click here to find out more

Funding for community laundry hubs

Through Cumbria Community Foundation there is funding available for organisations who may want to set up a laundry hub similar to the one below operating out of College House Community Hub in Barrow.

The hub in Barrow offers free access to washing machines and tumble dryers for anyone struggling with the rising cost of living.

To find out more about the fund contact Cumbria Community Foundation on 01900 820827 or visit www.cumbriafoundation.org

The guide to building business resilience – a new resource from the British Business Bank

For small business owners, rising costs can be a real challenge. It’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to keep a business afloat in an uncertain economy of high inflation and potential recession.

The new guide to building business resilience from the British Business Bank contains impartial, practical, and actionable information and support to help smaller businesses manage their costs, boost their long-term profitability, and increase their resilience.

The guide features everything from energy efficiency to controlling staff overheads to help smaller business owners build a foundation for both resilience and innovation to protect their business.

Click here to read the guide

Sustainable living guide

Cumbria Action for Sustainability have a comprehensive guide to living sustainably – from tips to shopping through to reducing your food waste.

Click here to find out more

Cumberland Council Appointments LGR

As part of the recruitment process for the Chief Officer roles at Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council, the following appointments have been agreed by the Members’ Panels. All have accepted the roles and will start in their positions from April 2023:

• Assistant Chief Executive – Director of Strategy, Policy and Performance: Nik Hardy
• Director of Public Health and Communities: Colin Cox
• Director of Place, Sustainable Growth and Transport: Darren Crossley
• Director of Business Transformation and Change: Jo Atkinson
• Director of Resources: Simon Higgins
• Director of Children and Family Wellbeing: Martin Birch
• Assistant Director of Project Management Office: Brendan Carlin
• Assistant Director of Thriving Place and Investment: Jane Meek
• Assistant Director of Children and Families: Lynn Berryman

Assistant Director of SEND, Education and Inclusion: Dan Barton

All up-to-date information can be found at the New Councils for Cumbria website here –    Home (newcouncilsforcumbria.info)

You can a video What does LGR mean for me (newcouncilsforcumbria.info)

Guide to trade remedies system

The Government has published a handbook for small and medium-sized businesses explaining the UK trade remedies system. Trade remedies are duties which are placed on imports of specific products to protect domestic industries from unforeseen import surges. The handbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the system and includes practical advice on how to work with the Trade Remedies Authority.

The handbook is available here