LEADER reforms must prioritise communities

LEADER reforms ‘must prioritise communities’


Áine Ryan
aineryan@mayonews.ie

GOVERNMENT TDS and county councillors have been called on to ensure that upcoming reforms to the LEADER local development model do not weaken or undermine the pivotal influence of ‘local people, community groups and volunteers’ in the bottom-up decision-making ethos that has proven so successful for the model.
A letter to interested parties, sent by Gerry O’Neill and Michael Biggins, CEO and Chairman of South West Mayo Development Company LTD, warns that major changes, proposed by Minister Phil Hogaan, will mean that a county council-led structure will replace the present model, thus removing ‘authority, responsibility and funding’ from the local development companies.
The letter notes that South West Mayo Development Company (SWMDC) has worked ‘hand-in-hand with community organisations and individuals for the last 20 years, resulting in highly successful projects and services, as well as long-lasting working relationships on the ground’.
“Our expert team focuses on disadvantage, rural isolation, social inclusion, and rural economic development with both local on-the-ground knowledge and understanding of the social and infrastructural needs of rural County Mayo.”
Called ‘Putting People First, the LEADER reform package is under the remit of major local government reforms being implemented at the Department of the Environment and Local Government.    
Speaking some months ago to The Mayo News, Gerry O’Neill said that, while  there were many aspects of the document that they support, the company has concerns about the real possibility this reform will undermine the bottom-up economic model.
Mr O’Neill said the present structure of local development company boards – which includes community representatives and social partners, as well as the local authority and the statutory sector – worked very well.
Moreover, Michael Biggins said it was ‘ironic that Mr Hogan would dismiss the fact that the Irish LEADER model approach to rural development is acclaimed as most effective and best practice in the European Union’.
“These changes would see our rural dwellers re-directed to a new unfamiliar system administered by local authority personnel. We are encouraging community leaders, rural dwellers and farm families to contact their local representatives and politicians this week to highlight the adverse effects that these changes will have on their day-to-day lives,” Mr Biggins said.
Meanwhile the other such company in the county, Mayo North East LEADER Partnership (MNELP) will resume work soon, following the completion of an investigation into governance issues at the company by the Department of Environment.
This follows a call by north Mayo based government TD, Michelle Mulherin for the minister to ‘urgently reinstate the MNELP Rural Development Programme (RDP) so that local development projects and initiatives would be able to avail of the current round of LEADER funding which is due to expire next year’.  
“This is a matter I have been pursuing intensely with the Minister towards the much needed resumption of the delivery of the LEADER programme to our area which has been suspended for the past year owing to the investigation of governance issues in the company.

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