Cumbria County Council

Information Governance Team – House – 117 Botchergate – – CA1 1RD T: 01228 221234 – E: [email protected]

E-mail:

12 November 2018 Our reference: IG 01006

Dear

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - DISCLOSURE

The Council has completed its search relating to your request for information regarding the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, which was received on 17 October.

The Council does hold information within the definition of your request.

Request

Question 1) Has Cumbria LEP or any associated body such as Regional Growth Fund made any grant to M Sport Ltd at Estate, Dovenby, CA13 OPN Company Registered Number 02105112? Answer 1) The County Council acts as the Accountable Body for the Cumbria LEP, for funding programmes devolved to the LEP by Government. In 2014 the LEP received an application from M-Sport for grant funding support from the LEP’s Regional Growth Fund programme towards the proposed development at the Dovenby site. The project however did not progress with Cumbria LEP support, and was instead funded through Central Government’s Regional Growth Fund programme. This funding decision was made by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). You would need to contact BEIS for further details on their assessment and decision making process. Their contact details are;

Business Investment Directorate Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy St George’s House Kingsway Team Valley Trading Estate Gateshead Tyne & Wear NE11 0NA

Question 2) Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership 'THE FOUR PRONGED ATTACK Cumbria Strategic Economic Plan 2014-2024" (The Plan) page 25 states "LEP will review ail projects and programmes to assess value for money of investments’. Please explain your assessment of success and outcome if a grant has been made to M Sport. Please explain how you will assess if "the creation of 100 new Jobs" occurs as a result of your investment. Answer 2) – As per Answer 1 above, please contact BEIS for details on their assessment and decision making process.

Question 3) Please explain how you provide open and transparent decision making and provide me with a copy of the monitoring and evaluation of delivery in relation to any grant made to M Sport. Answer 3) As per Answer 1, please contact BEIS for details on their assessment and decision making process. Serving the people of Cumbria cumbria.gov.uk

Question 4) How and when will Cumbria County Council provide to the public the ”assurance" and be ”accountable” for the millions of pounds of grant and the claim that it will result in 100 new jobs in this project? Answer 4). Cumbria County Council as accountable for the LEP has not provided a grant to MSport.

Question 5) Do the standards of the ‘assurance framework’ and the ‘accountable body’ and responsibilities of the County Council” (quoted from The Plan) allow a grant of taxpayers money to be paid to an organisation that, according to HMRC, have not paid their tax? Answer 5) Any funding decision for LEP funds is made in accordance with the LEP’s Assurance Framework. Further detail on the LEP’s Assurance Framework and the decision making process can be found at: https://www.thecumbrialep.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/20180928-Revised-Local-Assurance- Framework.pdf

Question 6) Consider your ”assurance framework”, the accountable body functions and responsibilities of the County Council” and ”open and transparent decision making” and ”value for money of investments” quoted from your Plan; please explain why taxpayers money should be granted to a business that has not paid tax due and expects ”that it may take several years before the position is finally determined" Answer 6) - See Answer 5.

Disclaimer

Most of the information that we provide in response to requests submitted under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 will be subject to copyright protection. In most cases the copyright will be owned by Cumbria County Council. However the copyright in other information may be owned by another person or organisation, as indicated on the information itself.

You are free to use any information supplied in this response for your own non-commercial research or private study purposes. The information may also be used for any other purpose allowed by a limitation or exception in copyright law, such as news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for example by publishing the information in analogue or digital form, including on the internet, will require the permission of the copyright owner. Where the copyright owner is the council you will need to make an application under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.

For information where the copyright is owned by another person or organisation you must apply to the owner to obtain their permission.

If you are dissatisfied with the way the council has responded to your request you can request an Internal Review. If you would like to request a Review please contact the Information Governance Team using the details at the top of this letter.

Further information can be found on the council’s website: http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/council- democracy/accesstoinformation/internalreviewscomplaints.asp

Yours sincerely,

Analeize Lawson Information Governance Team Corporate, Customer and Community Services

Serving the people of Cumbria cumbria.gov.uk