European Social Fund in England

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly receive £445 million European investment

January 30 marked the start of the two Convergence Programmes totalling almost £445 million of European investment for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The ambitions for these economic investment programmes (European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund) are to build on the Objective One Programme success in regenerating the economy of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The Programmes’ official launch was timed to coincide with the first meeting of the Joint ERDF/ESF Programme Monitoring Committee which was due to formally agree investment procedures for the European Regional Development Fund.

The event was also attended by Brussels-based Jonathan Denness, Deputy Head of Unit for the UK at the European Commission’s DG Regional Policy.

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership, said: “Convergence will be one of the most ambitious and challenging investment opportunities for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We must work together to keep our eyes on the long term ambitions of a stronger, more diverse economy with nationally and internationally successful businesses.”

Of the £445 million to be invested, £134 million is from the European Social Fund.

More information

The Convergence part of the Objective One website, includes Convergence newsletters and a number of Frequently Asked Questions and Convergence consultation documents and processes.