Leitrim County Council’s newly established Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and Leitrim County Council have completed the first final draft of the 6 year Local Economic and Community Plan 2015 – 2021 which is now available for review and comment by emailing lcdc@leitrimcoco.ie on or before August 17th 2015. The document is available for download Draft Leitrim LECP 30 June 2015.pdf
The Local Government Reform Act 2014 requires each Local Authority to put in place a Local Community Development Committee (LCDC). LCDCs are made up of members of the Local Authority, Local Authority staff and representatives of public bodies delivering services locally, of local community interests and of local development bodies. The majority of an LCDC’s members must be from the non-statutory sector.
The LCDC’s main function is to prepare, implement and monitor the Community elements of a six-year Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) which is to be prepared for each Local Authority area. Whilst it does not have a role in deciding on the Economic elements of the LECP, it must consider those elements so that they can be better coordinated with the Community elements and the LECP can stand as an integrated whole.
The LCDC also has a general role in seeking to ensure effectiveness, consistency, co-ordination and avoidance of duplication between the various elements of Local Authority activities in the community.
Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs) will help achieve a number of Government priorities over their six-year time period by:
· Building on Councils’ existing economic and community development work
· Improving local coordination and joint-working and linking clearly with other local, regional, national and EU priorities, policies and strategies
· Enhancing local involvement and inputs and being clear, succinct, evidence-based and action-focused
The Plans’ two strands, the Economic and Community, are brought together in an integrated way because many development issues straddle the Economic and Community perspectives. The Council’s Economic Development and Enterprise Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) prepares the Economic elements of the LECP whilst the LCDC, as set out above, prepares the Community elements.
LECPs must be consistent with the local Development Plans made by the elected members and also with the regional spatial and economic strategies. The LECP must also be considered by the Municipal District members and be approved by the Council.
The Economic Elements of the Plan
Government Guidance (Source: DECLG Guidelines, January 2015) sets out that the Economic part of the LECP is likely to include a focus via a number of Sustainable Economic Development Objectives (SEDOs) on:
· Attracting substantial investment and new enterprise whilst sustaining/expanding existing enterprise and improving the quality and diversity of employment
· Economic transformation/regeneration of urban centres and strengthening the economic fabric of smaller towns/villages and their capacity to advance rural economic regeneration
· Community/local development programmes and micro-enterprise support
· Aspects of relevant national, regional, sub-regional and city/county level plans and strategies
The Community Elements of the Plan
The Community elements of the LECP should simultaneously be built around a number of Sustainable Community Objectives (SCOs) aimed at enhancing the quality of life and well-being of communities in a manner consistent with the overall regional and local planning frameworks. Underpinning Actions here are likely to address:
· Education, training and skills development and the creation of sustainable employment and self-employment opportunities
· Developing social, economic and physical infrastructure to tackle social exclusion, poverty and disadvantage and enhancing the capacity of communities to improve their well-being
· Developing synergies between supports for children and young people
· Promoting the general welfare of communities and supporting active citizenship
The draft of the LECP outlines the planning process to reach this draft stage including the Focus Groups and Municipal District meetings held as well as consultations with various organisations and sectors.
focused
The Plans’ two strands, the Economic and Community, are brought together in an integrated way because many development issues straddle the Economic and Community perspectives. The Council’s Economic Development and Enterprise Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) prepares the Economic elements of the LECP whilst the LCDC, as set out above, prepares the Community elements.