Leader funding safe

Leader funding is safe for Mayo

Anton McNulty

THE THREAT to withhold Leader funding from Mayo groups will not be enforced, after it was announced that the election of members to the board of the new Leader company for north and east Mayo will take place within the next fortnight.

Last week, the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Éamon Ó Cuív TD, told the Leader rural development groups around Ireland that he would not give them funding if they did not hold elections to the new groups that replace them. The Leader groups are being replaced by Leader/Partnership groups in the new Rural Development Programme, and the Government has sought detailed five-year plans for them.

In May, the Minister announced, after considerable delay, that the Department were rolling out a package of €425.4 million – almost treble the amount of the last programme. However, the Minister wanted no more than two companies distributing such Government projects in each county.

In order to comply with the wishes of the Minister, an agreement was recently reached between the existing Leader groups in the north and east of the county to merge and create a new company called Mayo North East Leader Company. These companies included Moy Valley Resources LDP, Kiltimagh IRD and Meitheal Mhaigh Eo.

Mr John Magee, an official in the Community and Enterprise Department of Mayo County Council, told The Mayo News that the election to the board of Mayo North East is due to take place within the next fortnight and no funding will be withheld from the county. He added that the companies were working together with Mayo County Council to produce a five-year plan to submit to the Department for next Monday. He also said that the elections to the board of the other Leader company, South West Mayo Development Company, had already taken place.

“The situation in Mayo is that there will be no withholding of funding for Mayo because the election of a new board is due to take place within the next two weeks. This will be within the time-scale set by the Minister, which I believe was July 25, and there will be no issue. At the moment these companies are working with myself and the Council to submit the plan to the Department,” he said.

The future of the former Leader companies in north and east Mayo is still uncertain following the merger and creation of the new company. Mr Magee said that they would have to wait until the Department approves their new plan before any decision is made on the existing companies.

“We will have to wait until the Department approves the plan and, after the election has been held, the new board will have to come together and see what is the best way forward,” he said.