7006 fan - You forget that to obtain Euro funding the airport owners have to invest a far far greater amount to lever any support out. Probably 5 - 10 times the amount before any funding support becomes available. If HUY owners thought your idea for a £20m project is a good investment, they can do it and apply for some funding.
Symphonyangel is right 7006fan. How it used to work (I am not right sure about now) is that Euro and UK grants/funds are means tested. Doncaster qualified for high funding due to it being classed as an objective 1 priority...high unemployment, socio-economic problems, decimated industries, degraded land etc.
I could be wrong but I think
PRIVATE sector investors/industries (in area designated as Objective 1) are asked to contribute like for like (pound for pound) but even this has pre-conditions attached as the money is released in stages and depending upon fulfilling the companies business plan criterion.
For example, if your company qualified for objective 1 status, and you needed £20 million to open a business, which planned to give jobs to 500 local people, you would need to contribute £10 million and the other £10 million would be released in stages until the 500 have been employed (this is a little simplistic but I am sure you get the gist).
This is why Doncaster is a haven for outside investment. Not only does it have excellent transport links but also it costs companies half the amount to set up business as it would in say North Lincolnshire.
Cards are stacked firmly against HUY, but it is still doing moderately well.
I appreciate it is not fair, but you can argue that it was not fair when tens of thousands lost their job in pits, steelworks and dependent industries in South Yorks, and the shipping, food and port industries in North Humberside and Grimsby. If HUY is eligible for funding then it is really up to MAG to pull its fingers out…but I don’t think it will because as Symphonyangel mentioned, I think it would not get pound for pound funding. My guess is that it would need to put in between 50 and 100 million to get the £20 million you wish for…and this isn’t going to happen.
My wish…and I say this because I genuinely want HUY to do well, is that someone comes in and makes an offer to MAG for HUY. MAG is a great company but its effort are for MAN. Under the right stewardship HUY could be a little goldmine.