More than £200 million has been made available for northwest businesses, company leaders have heard.

Businesses were reminded of the combination of funding packages for regional firms at the Joint Economic Commission for the Northwest meeting.

A venture capital loan fund, skills and training money, cash for high growth industries and spending on innovation were secured by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

Despite the downturn, regional minister Beverley Hughes told the commission she was convinced the region would emerge stronger than before.

Commission members agreed to join forces to deliver projects on time, speed up payments and look at apprenticeships.

Ms Hughes wanted to examine opportunities for the region when the upturn in the economy occurred.

Chair of the NWDA Bryan Gray said: "We will continue to prioritise our investments to ensure that growth continues well into the future."

The venture capital loan fund will provide seed and growth money to small and medium enterprises and fast growing businesses, according to a group supporting digital companies, Northern StartUp 2.0.