A BRAND new fund has been launched to attract more film and TV productions to the Liverpool City Region (LCR).

This LCR Production Fund has been created to encourage more filming across Wirral, Liverpool, Knowsley, Halton, Sefton and St Helens.

Worth £2m, production companies can bid for a maximum of £500,000 per proposal and is aimed at small and large projects.

Provided by the LCR Combined Authority's Strategic Investment Fund, it is hoped that by bringing more filming to Merseyside, high-quality jobs will be brought to the area.

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “LCR has long been one of the UK’s creative hubs so it is absolutely right that as a Combined Authority we have created this £2 million Film Fund.

“By attracting even more productions to film here in our city region we can help to develop the kind of creative ecosystem that delivers highly-skilled jobs for local people, and opportunities for local businesses to grow.

"We know that film and TV already generates more than £16 million a year for the city region economy and this fund will help increase that even further.”

In order to meet criteria for the funding, projects must use the LCR as a location (for all or part of the project), there must be a focus on employing local people and they are encouraged to use local businesses, such as hotels where the cast and crew will stay during their time in the area.

The Film Office will prioritise projects which have strong creative and commercial attachments, and can shine a spotlight on the profile of Liverpool and the city region.

To help manage the fund, Liverpool Film Office has brought in industry expert, Chris Moll, a producer and senior executive, who has worked in the sector for more than 30 years.

All applicants which meet the key criteria will be then be reviewed by an Investment Advisory Panel which will consist of local and national figures from the TV and film industry and representatives from Liverpool Combined Authority and the Local Enterprise Partnership.

Fund advisor Chris Moll said: “The addition of a film and scripted TV fund to the Liverpool Film Office’s already outstanding offer is not only a vote of confidence in the abilities of the team, but also a bold statement of intent as to Liverpool’s aspiration to become a globally-recognised production hub.

“I look forward to contributing my experience and to working with both indigenous and incoming producers to build a diverse investment portfolio of high-quality content over the next 12 to 18 months.”

The fund is now open, for more information visit www.liverpoolfilmoffice.tv/production-fund