Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring T.D, today announced that rural communities in Mayo are set to benefit from €500,000 in additional LEADER Programme funding after Mayo emerged as one of the highest performing of the 29 Local Actions Groups (LAGs ) across the country.
The role of the LAGs is to identify, select and fund LEADER projects in their respective areas. The €500,000 announced by Minister Ring is additional to the existing budget of over €8.2 million originally allocated to Mayo LAG. The same amount (€500,000 ) in additional funding has been allocated to each of the ten top performing LAGs nationally under the LEADER programme.
The selection of the LAGs was based on an assessment of the level of funding they had approved for projects and the level of funding actually drawn down in respect of those projects. It follows an announcement by Minister Ring in July of this year that additional funding would be provided to the top ten performing Local Action Groups by September 20 All LAGs were notified of the selection criteria in advance.
Announcing the allocation of the additional funding, Minister Ring, whose Department oversees the LEADER Programme: "I am delighted to be in a position to provide additional funding to the top 10 areas where there is a strong demand for LEADER funding.
"Mayo was the second highest performing of the 29 LAGs in the country having allocated over €6.1 million (almost 75 per cent ) of its LEADER funds to 153 projects throughout the county. They will now be rewarded with extra funding to invest in rural communities in the county.
“I know that the extra funding will be of great benefit to rural communities in Mayo. In making this announcement today, I am delivering on my previous commitment to provide additional funding to those Local Action Groups who are performing well in the delivery of the LEADER programme.
“Some Leader Groups, including Mayo, have performed very well in allocating funds to projects. Others need to perform better. By introducing this additional funding, I am rewarding the best performers. The extra allocation will enable the successful LAGs to fund a wide range of projects with economic, social or environmental impacts which will be delivered by both community groups and private enterprises.”
The Minister continued: "Over 2,500 projects have been approved under the LEADER programme since it opened for applications in the second half of 2016. This year alone, over 900 projects have been approved by the Local Action Groups around the country. It is clear that the programme is now working very well - so much so that there is a demand for additional funding in some areas.
"I want to acknowledge the work of Mayo and all of the Local Action Groups who have work hard to encourage more projects to come forward under LEADER. More than 150 projects in Mayo totalling more than €8 million have now been allocated funding under this LEADER Programme. By the end of this year, the LAGs, on average, will have allocated 80% of their project budget, with the remainder to be allocated in 2020."
Peter Hynes, Chief Executive, Mayo County Council welcomed the announcement, saying “This additional funding is good news for Mayo communities and enterprises, and a strong endorsement of the robust performance of the Mayo Local Community Development Committee (LCDC ) in maximising the benefits of the LEADER programme for these communities and enterprises”. He further added that “it is also a testament to both the co-operation and work of LEADER partners; Mayo County Council, Mayo Northeast, South West Mayo, Comhar na nOileán and Moy Valley Resources, and to the communities and businesses that have brought projects forward to date .”
Mayo County Council Cathaoirleach, Cllr Brendan Mulroy called the allocation great news for community groups and organisations across the county; “this extra funding will benefit communities across the county, allowing additional vital social inclusion, economic development and environmental initiatives to advance over the coming years.”
