Cumbria taking a lead on a ground-breaking new European project
Staff at Cumbria County Council’s Regeneration Support Team were overjoyed today to discover that a bid for funds to support European collaboration has been successful.
The TOWER initiative encourages European regions to work together to improve their economic performance. Jointly with regions in France, Hungary, Sweden and the Netherlands, Cumbria, on behalf of the North West, has submitted a bid for €3m from the European Union’s Interreg programme. The funds will support projects that encourage public bodies, businesses, universities and other organisations to work with their counterparts in the other four regions on topics of economic growth and competitiveness.
Unit Manager, Gillian Elliott, said: “This is wonderful news. The Regeneration Support Team has supported strongly sharing experience with other European regions, and these funds will help us to learn from our European colleagues how we can address some of the economic challenges that Cumbria faces. We are also sure that we have much to offer them, too.”
The initiative is timely, given growing concern about Cumbria’s economic performance, and the aftermath of Foot and Mouth disease and other economic shocks suffered by the county in recent years.