Keeping LEADER at the centre of rural communities
LEADER has had significant impact on the rural communities across North Tipperary and people across the county are being asked to sign an online petition being run by international association ELARD, seeking to protect the future of dedicated funding to County Tipperary’s rural communities.
Speaking about the petition, Michael Murray, CEO of North Tipperary Local Development Company (NTDC), said: “The LEADER/CCLD programme has had a major positive impact on communities in Tipperary and around Ireland since it was implemented in 1991. It funds thousands of rural development projects, supporting jobs, tourism, young people, local infrastructure, and more. What sets it apart from other funding mechanisms is that the LEADER/CCLD programme is much more than a grant-giving mechanism - it helps to build capacity and skills at local level to ensure that rural communities can meet the challenges of the future such as climate change, digital connectivity and how communities in counties like Tipperary can continue to innovate.”
Patrick Killeen, LEADER Programme Co-ordinator with NTDC, added: “LEADER funding has had a transformative impact on rural communities throughout the county, and while many people might not even be aware of LEADER they have most certainly benefitted from it. It has supported the development of small local businesses, improved the county’s infrastructure by developing facilities, and is behind a range of services available to the local community.
“We are asking people to take two minutes to sign the petition by June 6 to help us to secure a strong future for Tipperary. Rural communities are the beating heart of Ireland. Ireland – and Europe – needs strong rural communities which can be supported to grow, and the LEADER programme must be equipped to ensure it can continue to meet the needs of the people of Tipperary into the future.”
Monica McElvaney NTDC Chairperson stated: “The LEADER programme currently in place will run until the end of 2027, however the EU funding budgets for the period after 2027 are being decided by policymakers right now, and we are deeply concerned that there will be changes made to how LEADER/CCLD is funded into the future."
The petition is a Europe-wide campaign run by the European LEADER Association for Rural Development and is supported by the Local Development Companies Network. The petition calls on policymakers to:
-Secure a stronger budgetary allocation in the next MFF
- Expand LEADER/CCLD beyond the Common Agricultural Policy to integrate it into cohesion policy, the Just Transition Fund, and digitalisation initiatives
- Simplify the funding process, with unified rules for financial management, auditing and reporting, amongst other actions.
PETITION DETAILS
[CB1]if we want to stress LEADER as being more than grants, we should not refer to the funding - only the programme
[EB2]This will be stronger if specific projects can be included here if feasible.
[CB3]this is not our petition - we need to indicate that this is a europe-wide petition (as indicated later) that people are being asked to engage in. The role of LDCN in supporting this europe initiative is important.