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<p>The Northern Powerhouse will support delivery of our Industrial Strategy boosting
growth across the North including the creation of jobs in the North West ensuring
an economy that works for everyone.</p><p>We are helping small businesses grow through
access to advice on GOV.UK and the Business Support Helpline. We have already invested
£12 million in the 38 Growth Hubs in each of the Local Enterprise Partnership areas
providing tailored advice to businesses across England. We have announced we will
provide a further £24m to continue Growth Hubs for the next 2 years. The Liverpool
City Region Growth Hub, which covers St Helens South and Whiston constituency, has
supported over 5, 800 businesses and helped 1,500 individuals to start a business.</p><p>In
February 2017, we launched the £400 million Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund to
give small businesses in the North access to finance to help them start-up and grow.
74 investments or loans have been made in the North West totalling over £14m. Four
investments have been made in the hon Member's constituency, totalling £270, 000.</p><p>The
Regional Growth Fund was established to support job creation and economic growth.
£1.59m has been allocated to the hon Member's constituency creating or safeguarding
228 jobs. Over £504 million has been allocated to North West</p><p>In addition, we
have invested over £1.5 billion through the Local Growth Fund in North West projects
to boost local economies. We will invest £332m in Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise
Partnership area creating 15,400 jobs. This will support projects such as St Helens
College, Windle Island Improvements and St Helens Town Centre Connectivity in the
hon Member's constituency.</p>
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