The LGA launches its guide to help councils access billions of euro of EU funding

The Local Government Association has launched an EU funding guide for councils that details around 30 EU funds and loan schemes worth more than €20bn to local areas in England (2014-20).

Developed in conjunction with practitioners, the guide breaks the funding down into themes, amounts, funded activities, signpost to further information, and a number of illustrative case studies, diagrams and a useful glossary of European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF) terms.

The guide also includes case studies and useful tips to help councils demystify the wide range of EU funding opportunities now available thanks to the €960 billion EU budget for 2014-20.

This increased budget brings a new generation of EU funding spending programmes over seven years that can deliver Europe's political priorities.

This is more poignant with the backdrop of reducing domestic finances.

The guide encourages councils to think creatively in terms of mixing funding sources and working with other partners in order to deliver projects that benefit localities.

The guide can be downloaded here or for more information visit the LGA's EU homepage.