The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, today announced the details of the 46 applicant groups who were successful under Stage 1 of the 2023-2027 LEADER programme.
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 successful applicants will now move on to Stage 2 which will see them develop their LEADER Local Development Strategies. These strategies will support sustainable development in rural communities. This significant step in the process which will see the new LEADER programme supporting communities and businesses right across rural Ireland.
Making the announcement, Minister Humphreys said:
“For over 30 years, the LEADER programme has been hugely effective in delivering locally-led projects that have brought major benefits to communities across Rural Ireland.
“LEADER operates on a bottom-up approach, which empowers local communities to deliver projects that will contribute greatly to revitalise rural Ireland’s towns and villages.”
The Minister continued:
“Today, I’m pleased to announce the outcome of Stage 1 of the process for selecting groups to deliver the new LEADER programme and to invite these groups to develop new and innovative strategies for their areas.
“I would encourage communities across the country to get involved in the development of the LEADER strategies to help ensure that LEADER can continue to deliver projects and initiatives that are directly linked to local needs and priorities.”
Minister Humphreys has made a fund of €2 million available to the 46 successful applicant groups to assist them with the development of their Local Development Strategies.
The full list of groups moving forward to develop their strategies is available here.
