Background
- LEADER acronym
- LEADER I & II
- Scope
- Actions
- Local Action Groups
- Themes
- Target groups
- Project selection
- Funding
- Timetable
LEADER acronym
LEADER stands for Liason Entre Actions pour le Développement de L'Economie Rurale (links between actions for the development of the rural economy).
LEADER I & II
The LEADER+ Programme builds on two preceding Programmes, LEADER I and II. LEADER I operated between 1992/93. It covered only parts of West Cornwall and the North Tamar area of West Devon and Cornwall. The programme was very much a pilot programme, with funding to match - only 1.5 meuro. LEADER II, which provided £26 million over the period 1995-99, was targeted specifically at Objective 5(b) areas: South West; Marches (West Midlands); Midlands Uplands (Peak District); Lincolnshire; Northern Uplands (parts of Northumbria, Lancashire, Cumbria and North Yorkshire); and East Anglia.
Scope
LEADER+ continues to focus on innovative, local area based development plans implemented by local people working in partnership. LEADER+ projects may not duplicate activities funded under other structural funds or mainstream programmes.
Actions
- Action 1 - Integrated, pilot rural development plans
- This action assists local action groups in rural areas in developing and implementing high quality, innovative and sustainable development plans.
- Action 2 - Co-operation between rural areas
- Local action groups are required to work on joint projects with other groups in the UK, European Union or other countries, by pooling skills and resources to achieve the objectives set out in their development plans.
- Action 3 - Networking
- All local action groups exchange ideas and share good practice through a national LEADER+ network.
The LEADER+ Programme funds 3 areas of activity called "actions", which have been defined by the EU:
Local action groups
Local action groups are responsible for drawing up and implementing area development strategies. The group must comprise a balanced and representative selection of partners drawn from the different socio-economic sectors in the local area concerned. Local action group areas must be small, homogeneous in social, economic and geographical terms. In terms of size, the guidelines suggest the population should generally be no less than 10,000 (i.e. with sufficient critical mass) and no more than 100,000 with an overall population density not greater than 120 inhabitants/km. Any departure from these guidelines needed to be justified and be in line with the limits outlined in the England LEADER+ Programme.
- Download a larger version of the LAG map [GIF format 190KB]
Themes
The local action group development plan is built around one or more of the following themes, which have been defined by the EU:
- the use of 'know how' and new technologies to make rural products and services more competitive
- improving the quality of life in rural areas
- adding value to local products
- making the best use of natural and cultural resources
Target Groups
The local action groups must identify target groups in their area to help focus activity. Target groups in England are:
- women
- young people
- older people
- unemployed and under-employed
- rural businesses and workers affected by restructuring
Local action groups may select a limit number of other target groups which are priorities for their local area and are consistent with their development strategy.
Project Selection
Local action groups will be responsible for selecting projects. Projects must contribute to the group's overall strategy as set out in their development plan. Projects will be small scale, innovative and address local rural development issues in socially, economically and environmentally sustainable ways.
Funding
England will receive about 54 million euros (around £33 million at 29 December 2001). Funding is entirely from the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) Guidance section. The guidance section funding is not restricted to agricultural projects: it can also be used to fund the types of projects, which might otherwise be supported, by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). DEFRA will provide one source of match funding. For this scheme, the match funding will also come from other sources e.g. local authorities, other government departments, Regional Development Agencies and private sector sources.
Timetable
The England LEADER+ Programme was approved by the European Commission on 9 August 2001 (Commission Decision C (2001) 2100. The deadline for applications was 17 September 2001. There is only one round of applications. Rural Affairs Minister, Alun Michael announced 24 successful applicants on 7 January 2002. A further reserve candidate was approved in July 2002, bringing the final total of groups to 25. In the first half of 2002 local action groups wrote and negotiated their detail business or action plans and put in place their administrative and management systems. The project selection and implementation phase started in earnest in the second half of 2002. The Programme is a six-year programme with funding approvals ending 31 December 2006 but local action groups have a further two years in which approved projects can be funded and completed.
Page last modified:
5 February, 2007
Page created: 10 December, 2002