Hurdle cleared on road to release of millions of euro to Laois

A hurdle has been cleared on the road that will see nearly €6 million in grants being made available to Laois business and community groups.

Two applicants in Laois have been approved under Stage 1 of the LEADER programme. They are Laois Partnership and the Laois Local Community Development Committee LCDC which operates under the auspices of Laois County Council.

As part of Stage 1 of the selection process, eligible groups were asked to submit expressions of interest to their Local Action Groups (LAG).

The Department of Rural and Community Development says the successful applicants will now move on to Stage 2 which will see them develop their LEADER Local Development Strategies. The Department says these strategies will support sustainable development in rural communities.

The Department says this is a significant step in the process which will see the new LEADER programme supporting communities and businesses right across rural Ireland.

LEADER, a key intervention of Our Rural Future, is a rural development programme co-funded by the EU, which operates a locally-led, bottom-up, approach to meeting the needs of rural communities and businesses. The programme supports private enterprises and community groups in rural areas.

A fund of €2 million has been set aside to the two Laois applicants and the 44 other groups around Ireland to assist them with the development of their Local Development Strategies.  Details in this regard are being issued to these groups.

Laois Offaly TD and Minister of State Sean Fleming welcomed the announcement.

"I am pleased that Laois LCDC and Laois Partnership are the successful groups in Laois that are directly linked to local needs and priorities in Laois and the successful groups will assist the development of their Local Development Strategies," he said.

Laois is getting €5.7 million in funding from the Government and the EU to support community and business projects over the next five years. Between 2014-2020, Laois had core programme funding €7.1m allocated.

The Department says all of the 2023-207 money will be allocated up front to LEADER areas which is a change from the last programme.

Lots of extra info for jobseekers in Laois at 2023 jobs fair

Both Laois Partnership and LCDC had been administering the LEADER grants in the lifetime of the previous round of funding.

LAOIS Partnership Company says it is the Local Development Company for Laois. A State and EU-funded organisation, it says it delivers a range of programmes and supports to people, communities and businesses. 

The Department of Rural and Community Development says that among other things LCDCs are responsible for 
co-ordinating, planning and overseeing local and community development funding. It adds that a key function of the LCDCs is to prepare the community elements of 6-year Local Economic and Community Plans.