Crowe Attends LEADER Programmes Rally

Dublin South West representative Seán Crowe TD has called on Environment Minister Phil Hogan to turn back from his effort to make local authorities the new LEADER groups from 2015 and to give a commitment to support a community led LEADER programmes.

Crowe said that LEADER was working in rural communities across the island, playing a positive inclusive role and the Minister’s proposals have the potential to undermine their successful partnership work.

Speaking after the Rally outside the Dáil Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“The agenda of this Government is to remove LEADER local development funding from the 35 Local Development Groups across rural Ireland and to now put it under the direct political management of local authorities.

“We could well see a 10% reduction in funding as a penalty for deciding to place LEADER under this political management structure In terms of overall funding and a reduction of €30 million has been suggested.

“This power realignment will mean LEADER companies going under direct control of local authorities. This has obvious risks of funding being diverted into Council led projects rather than community based, grass root, and democratically led initiatives.

“Another deeply alarming consequence of this alignment is the prospect of public tendering and third party funding. This will allow for-profit companies and multi-nationals to apply to run the programmes. The big concern is that profit will become the central aim of these services and not community delivery

“This might make sense in an austerity focused government but it does not make sense in the real economy that is made up of the people of this country.

“It is vitally important that Minister Hogan and indeed any in-coming Minister to acknowledge that this is the wrong direction for rural Ireland. The Minister must recognise the numerous flaws with his current proposals and give a firm commitment to support community led LEADER programmes.”