Local authorities at the centre of driving ambitions for cities and counties throughout Ireland

Local councils set out plans to develop enterprise parks, greenways, tourist attractions health promotion programmes in their areas.

Today in Kilmainham, Minister Simon Coveney TD will speak at a forum on local community and economic development.  He is reiterating the important role that local authorities and Local Community and Development Committees play in coordinating activities aimed at improving local areas as places to live, work, visit and invest.  This follows the launch of 31 Local Economic and Community Plans in September.

At the same time in Leinster House, the senior local authority representatives will highlight to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the role local councils will play in delivering social, economic and cultural ambitions for their counties and cities.    

The 31 Local Economic and Community Plans (one in each local authority area) commits to 5,037 actions in the areas of; economic development, social inclusion, community development, health and wellbeing, rural and urban regeneration, investment and infrastructure.  When you combine all the local plans and aspirations, the picture of community-based mobilisation is immense.  There are 1,701 organisations involved in the delivery of these actions.  These include Government Departments, Local Development Companies, State Agencies such as IDA, Enterprise Ireland, the HSE; development organisations, and a wide range of local community and voluntary groups.   This also forms a mechanism for 11,137 community and voluntary groups to engage meaningfully with local authorities.

Joe MacGrath, Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council and Chair of the County and City Management Association (CCMA) stated that the Local Economic and Community Plans provide a framework by which significant investment will be made. The LCDC is the main approval body for the LEADER Programme investing €191.1million in local areas between 2014 – 2020.  Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP) will see €37.4million invested in social inclusion programmes throughout the country in 2016.  The LCDC is also seen as the decision body in the Border counties for the Ireland – Northern Ireland PEACE Programme.   Mr MacGrath asserts that this methodology is proving effective and the formula for allocation of funding and its governance via the local authorities should be built on.

Chief Executive of Offaly County Council, Anna Marie Delaney, firmly believes that the membership of the LCDC is critical to the delivery of the actions set out in the Local Economic and Community Plans.  The role for the local elected members and the Chief Executive of the City or County Council, the voluntary sector, community groups and agencies are central to the delivery of public services in local areas.  The combination of political and community leadership and agency involvement means that the LCDC is best positioned to mobilise relevant groups to deliver the Local Economic and Community. 

Paul Reid, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, cites the success of the Local Enterprise Offices as a major contributor to economic recovery across the country. Since 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are playing a pivotal role in supporting entrepreneurs, start-up businesses, people with a business idea and helping small business to scale up.  The LEOs are now an integral part of the local authority providing businesses with a better range of supports at a local level.  A net total of 3,533 new full and part-time jobs were delivered in 2015 by the 6,500 small businesses from across the country that have been supported by the LEOs.  He added that the expanded role local authorities play in tourism development and promotion is recognised across Ireland.

The implementation of the plans will make a significant difference to local communities, creating an enterprise environment that supports job creation, improving the attractiveness of local areas for tourists, and better coordination of a range of services aimed at enhancing inclusiveness and the health and wellbeing of local residents. Depending on the needs of the area, and the availability of resources, projects may include; enterprise parks, rollout of broadband, tourist attractions including greenways and blueways, and improved services for older people and other social inclusive measures.

For further information please contact olam@lgma.ie