THE creation of an international women’s enterprise centre will be a step closer when Liverpool council commits £500,000 of funding to the scheme next week.

The council hopes to build a £5m centre in the Duke Street area of the city centre to help break the gender gap in business creation.

The idea was first floated last year by deputy council leader Flo Clucas who last night said getting more women into busi-ness is vital to the region’s long-term economic success.

It is hoped the centre could help 3,000 businesses to be set up by women in the next 10 years, creating 4,500 new jobs.

It would be the first of its type in the country, following similar successful models in the USA.

The centre is to be called the International Centre for Women’s Enterprise and Econo-mic Development, will be uniquely for women and will be run by Train2000.

Last night, Cllr Clucas said: “Research has shown women have a very low rate of business ownership and being in senior positions in major companies.

“It is important we give wom- en the confidence that there will be support available to them.”

Just a tiny percentage of businesses created in north Liverpool were by local women, whereas men were behind more than 10%, Cllr Clucas has previously said. The rest of the businesses are owned by companies or people from outside the area.

“So few women own businesses, we want to break that concrete ceiling.

“It is also important in terms of the city’s own economic development which we need to move on a pace.”

The centre will bring together potential and existing entrepreneurs and those who wish to start or develop their own businesses, through training, mentoring and developing financial assistance.

It would also have incubator units for business start-ups, and is also likely to have a creche. “We hope that we will act as a policy formation centre carrying out research.”

The council is to set aside £500,000 towards the scheme from cash it gets from govern-ment for increasing business rates in the city, called the Local Area Business Growth Initiative.

Cllr Clucas hopes to attract European Objective Two funding for the scheme, and said early indications were positive.

It is hoped the centre could be open in early 2010 if planning consent for the building can be achieved in spring next year.

davidbartlett