North Warwickshire LEADERLAG Meeting 26 February 2010

Item 2. presentation by Ann McLauchlan NWBC

North Warwickshire LEADER 1

• What is LEADER? Distinctive approach to rural development, started 1991 as pilot, resulted in “the LEADER method”:

• Area based, coherent rural area with common history/traditions

• Bottom up, involves local people from population at large, social /economic interest groups, representative public/private institutions; builds capacity & encourages participation in decision making

• Local partnership, balanced, at least 50% economic /social partners who devise local strategy & actions

• Integrated and sustainable Development Strategies• Encourage and deliver Innovation• Inter-territorial & trans-national co-operation• Networking

North Warwickshire LEADER 2

• European funding for rural communities

• £1 million for North Warwickshire 2009 – 2013

• A partnership project involving community and voluntary groups, service providers, businesses who are members of the Local Action Group (LAG)

• Activities funded through LEADER must comply with European rules and

• Fit with the strategy that was approved by AWM

North Warwickshire LEADER 3

• Fit with European requirements means activities need to deliver outcomes for at least one of the following:

- Basic services for the economy & rural population

- Village renewal & development- Conservation & upgrading of the rural

heritage- Training & information for “economic actors”

North Warwickshire LEADER 4

• Fit with the local strategy means activities need to deliver outcomes for at least one of the following:

- Improve availability of services to rural people and/or businesses, so services are “as available” as they would be for people in market towns

- Make it easier for people from rural communities to move around the Borough & beyond

- Make it easier for people in rural areas to communicate with each other, within local neighbourhoods, between villages & towns & beyond

North Warwickshire LEADER 5

• -continued: Fit with the local strategy means activities need to deliver outcomes for at least one of the following:- Contribute to equality of opportunity by addressing

needs of those who may not otherwise access services or be part of communications networks

- Conserving/upgrading rural heritage & increase visitor numbers

- Provide new ways of working that help existing businesses/business start-ups to receive training & support

North Warwickshire LEADER 6

• the Local Strategy includes some “Expressions of Interest” for projects that could fit these criteria

• We will be asking those who submitted EOI’s to review their projects and re-submit (on “official forms”) for assessment in spring 2010

• Those that “fit” the criteria will then be asked to submit full applications for approval by the Local Action Group Executive (LAG Exec)

North Warwickshire LEADER 7

• the Local Action Group (LAG) Executive will be a group of around 15, of whom at least 8 will be “non-statutory” (voluntary, community, business) drawn from the wider LAG membership

• “statutory” members include Advantage West Midlands, Borough & County Councils & potentially PCT, Police or other service provider partners

• This group will make decisions about which projects are funded and AWM have to be in agreement for the funding to be approved

North Warwickshire LEADER 8

• Before they go to the LAG Exec for approval, projects will be “appraised” by members of the LAG who have been trained to do appraisals and who have no direct involvement/interest in the project

• The recommendations of the appraisal panel will be presented to the LAG Exec for them to make the final decision on whether to approve funding or not

• Project applications must demonstrate how the benefits of the activity will be sustained once the grant funding has been spent

North Warwickshire LEADER 9

• Next steps:

– Appoint project staff – Warwickshire CAVA & NWBC– Publicise LEADER, seek wider LAG membership &

offer induction & training opportunities to members, including…

– Identify LAG members who want to be trained to appraise projects and are willing/able to attend training

– Convene the LAG Exec Group to agree and sign tri-parti agreement