Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review: stage 2 - Ireland case study

4. Mobilising and embedding a Community Led Local Development response to social, economic, and environmental challenges in rural and coastal communities

Community Led Local Development (CLLD) is increasingly viewed as a tool for involving Irish citizens at a local level in developing responses to social, environmental, and economic challenges (Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, 2014). At a regional level initiatives such as the Western Development Commission (WDC) was established in the 1990s with the specific objective to tackle population decline in the Western Region of the country (Western Development Commission, no date). By 1998 the Western Development Commission was charged with the provision of evidence-based research for national policy and the management of the Western Development Commission Investment Fund and a community and social enterprise loan, an important support for CLLD (Western Development Commission, no date). European Structural and Investment funding sources are acknowledged as being highly significant in mobilising and embedding this approach through specific measures under these funds:

• the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (European Commission, 2020a)
• the European Social Fund (ESF) (European Commission, 2020b)
• the Cohesion Fund (European Commission, 2021a)
• the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (European Commission, 2021b) and
• the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) (European Commission, 2021c).

Rural and coastal CLLD initiatives have revolved around the EU LEADER programme and part of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. Historically LEADER was implemented through Local Action Groups (LAGs) which engaged local stakeholders from the public sector, private sector, and civil society in the delivery of the programme (Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, 2025a). The purpose of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund was to facilitate the transition to sustainable fishing and support coastal communities to diversify the local economy and finance projects that would create new local employment opportunities. This was supported through the creation of (similar to LAGs) Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) which were in effect local CLLD groups in coastal areas (Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, 2014).

4.1 Local government reforms: changes in local governance and further embedding of Community Led Local Development

In 2012, the Irish Government published ‘Putting People First - Action Programme For Effective Local Government’ (Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, 2019a). This document included a stated commitment to ensuring that “local government will be the main vehicle of governance and public service at [a] local level, leading economic, social and community development” (Oireachtas, 2012). It brought about significant changes in local government, from the regional and county level through to the municipal level of governance, established Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) in each local authority, and provided local government with a more central role in local and community development.

Local Community Development Committees draw on the expertise and experience of public and private sector individuals and organisations in each local authority area (Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, 2025b). A key objective of Local Community Development Committees is to prepare the community elements of 6-year Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs). The purpose of these plans is to promote the local and community development of each local authority area. The economic elements of the Local Economic and Community Plans are monitored by the Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) for Economic development and Enterprise and the community elements are developed and monitored by the Local Community Development Committees. The approval of the integrated plan is a reserved function of the Local Authority. Local Community Development Committees are expected to: coordinate, plan, and oversee local and community development funding; pursue a more integrated approach to service provision; involve communities in local and community development programmes; drive efficient use of resources; pursue additional funds; and focus on learning and feedback from programme implementation. For an example of a Local Community Development Committees see Cork County Council’s community page^[5].

The introduction of Public Participation Networks (PPNs) under the 2014 Local Government Reform Act are further evidence of the political commitment to embedding Community Led Local Development (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, 2022). A Public Participation Network (PPN) is explained as a network that allows local authorities to connect with community groups (Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, 2025c). Community groups can register to join the Public Participation Network in their local authority area. Public Participation Networks have been established in each county and city council across the Ireland and are based on a collaborative arrangement between Local Authorities and local volunteer-led organisations. The Public Participation Networks are described as a formal network of community and not-for-profit organisations that work together to give a collective voice to communities in decision making within local government on a range of issues including the environment and social inclusion. By the end of 2023 these Public Participation Networks represented 19,063 member groups made up of 15,242 community & voluntary groups, 3,081 social inclusion groups and 730 environmental groups. Climate Action was a significant priority for Public Participation Networks in 2023.

As part of this commitment to embedding Community Led Local Development, in 2019, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCD), in collaboration with the Community and Voluntary Sector, published a new document entitled Sustainable Inclusive and Empowered Communities, A Five Year Strategy to Support the Community and Voluntary Sector in Ireland (2019-2024) (Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, 2019b). One of the actions of this strategy is to support deliberative approaches for developing public policy through the creation of a National Civic Forum for Dialogue with the Community and Voluntary Sector (Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, 2025d). To date, three annual national fora have been convened, bringing together an average of 100 delegates from the community, voluntary and state sectors on each occasion. Feedback and contributions from each event have been collated into reports and are publicly available.

O’ Keeffe (2022) notes that in 2021, Ireland celebrated the 30th anniversary of LEADER, the longevity of which is explained in part by Ireland’s strong tradition of community development and volunteerism and the important role that civil society plays in local development. Since the early 1990s Irish Local Action Groups (LAGs) have implement the LEADER methodology through Local Development Companies (LDCs) to provide an integrated, placed based, territorial approach to local development. These LAGs are part of a national Irish Local Development Network (ILDN) whose purpose is to support best practice and exchange and contribute to national and EU policy (Irish Local Development Network, 2020).

The 2014 Local Government Reform Act resulted in the dissolution of county and city development boards and the establishment of Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs). These LCDCs provide a new structure for the coordination and implementation of local community development initiatives. Local Action Groups (LAGs), comprising community, public and private sector representatives, administer the LEADER programme with the objective of delivering place-based development (Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, 2024a). LAGs are explained by the DRCD (2025) as the key body in the delivery of the LEADER methodology along with the Implementing Partner (IP) or Animating Partner (AP). The IP/AP is the designated point of contact for the LAG in the areas where the LAG is the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) (DRCD, 2025). Therefore, it should be noted that LCDCs can also be LAGs - an example is Cork North - here the LAG is North Cork LCDC and the implementing partner of the Local Development Strategy (LDS^[6]