Government must match policy ambition with investment on ground, says Kilkenny LEADER Partnership

Kilkenny LEADER Partnership has welcomed the formal presentation of the Local Development Companies Network (LDCN) Pre-Budget Submission for Budget 2027 to senior ministers and elected representatives at Buswells Hotel, Dublin, highlighting the critical role of community-led delivery in City and County Kilkenny.

Representatives from Kilkenny LEADER Partnership were among those in attendance, where the submission was formally presented to Government, calling for increased investment in programmes that support individuals, families, and communities locally and nationwide.

The submission sets out a series of targeted measures—including increased funding for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), protection and expansion of LEADER funding, and strengthened supports for community-based services—which the network says are essential to ensure national policies deliver real impact on the ground.

Kilkenny LEADER Partnership highlighted the importance of these programmes in County Kilkenny where they support hundreds of individual and scores of community groups and small businesses each year.

“We see every day in the City and rural areas of Kilkenny, how community-led programmes make a real difference in people’s lives — whether it’s supporting people into employment, helping local enterprises grow, or strengthening community resilience,” said Declan Rice, CEO of Kilkenny LEADER Partnership.

“We are proud of our record of achievement, be it securing paid work for long term unemployed people through SICAP and the LAES, the initiation of the Graiguenamanagh Outdoor Tourism Hub, the Nore Vision a community-led initiative focusing on the future of our iconic river, our continued innovative work on rural mobility- The Barrow Bus or supporting the links between local wool weaving businesses- such as Cushendales Woolen Mills and sheep farmers, our on-the-ground work supporting the integration of migrant person- which often only manifests itself in more visible initiatives such as the Kilkenny ‘International’ football team, being just some recent example of example. The national submission reflects the realities we are seeing at local level.”

“There is a clear gap between policy ambition and the resources available to deliver it on the ground. In Kilkenny, demand for supports continues to grow, and sustained investment is essential to ensure we can respond effectively to local needs.”

The LDCN submission comes as Government prepares to implement major national strategies, including the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2026–2030 and the OECD Rural Policy Review, both of which rely on local delivery infrastructure to succeed.

Among the key national recommendations are an additional €6.1 million for SICAP, €10.2 million to address funding gaps in LEADER, and €12 million to strengthen community employment supports, alongside embedding €10 million in annual integration supports into core funding structures.

Local Development Companies collectively support more than 150,000 people and 6,000 community groups annually, delivering approximately €230 million in supports each year across Ireland.