LEADER providers welcome increased €70 million allocation

The announcement of an increased allocation of €70 million in 2021 and 2022 for the LEADER Programme, has been welcomed by the Irish Local Development Network (ILDN). Minister for Rural & Community Development Heather Humphreys TD and Minister for Agriculture Food & Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, made the announcement on Friday.

LEADER is the rural development programme co-funded by the EU which operates a locally-led, bottom-up, approach to meeting the needs of local communities and businesses, supporting private enterprises and community groups in rural areas.

The Government has begun the process of submitting an amendment to the European Commission to extend the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme, under which LEADER is funded, out to the end of 2022. As part of that process, the LEADER programme will be allocated a total of €70 million for 2021-2022, adding an extra €50 million to the initial funding of €20 million announced by Minister Humphreys in December 2020.

The ILDN represent the 35 Local Development Companies (LDCs) who deliver the LEADER programme nationally. Welcoming the announcement on Friday, ILDN chairman Jim Finn said, “ILDN have recently been calling for the Government to utilise funding available from the EU for Rural Development, for the purposes of LEADER. As the deliverers of LEADER across the Country we are greatly encouraged by today’s announcement of an increased allocation of €70 million to the end of 2022.”

IMPORTANT STIMULUS

ILDN Rural Development chairman, Éamonn O’Reilly continued, “The LEADER programme offers the ideal vehicle for the delivery of development funding to rural areas in the most effective manner. The allocation of this increased funding will deliver critical stimulus to rural areas to help drive the post Covid recovery.

“Furthermore, the funding announced will ensure that more vital projects in the areas of climate change, digital transformation, remote working and enterprise development can be progressed in our rural communities throughout the country to meet the expectations of the EU in terms of the requirements of its recovery funding criteria,” he said.

Minister Humphreys and Minister McConalogue said that the funding will support rural communities and private enterprises in the recovery from Covid-19.

In the coming weeks, the Department of Rural and Community Development will provide the breakdown of the increased allocation of €70 million to each of 29 Local Action Groups who deliver the LEADER programme.