Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which York-based companies received financial support from (a) Yorkshire Forward in each of its last five years of operation, (b) the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Education Partnership and (c) the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership in each year since those bodies were created; and what the financial value of that support was in each such case.

(a) This Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold details of all individual companies that receive financial support form Yorkshire Forward. Any financial support which Yorkshire Forward provided within the region was in line with the Agency’s Regional Economic Strategy and Corporate Plans and within its delegated financial authority.

(b & c) The Government has provided £4m to the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding (YNER) Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and £25.7m to the Leeds City Region (LCR) LEP to support growing businesses in their area through the Regional Growth Fund programme. Businesses in York are able to apply to access this funding. The YNYER and LCR Growth Deals are also jointly providing £8m to the bio-hub project at the University of York, which will support bio-renewable business and drive growth in the sector. In addition, the Government is providing a total of £925,000 for business support coordination in YNYER and LCR through our Growth Hub Programme.