3. What is LEADER?
•An acronym
- Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l'Économique
Rurale - ‘Links between actions for the development
of the rural economy’.
•Developed as a European Community tool to
promote the integrated, sustainable development of
rural areas through a partnership approach.
4. Chronology (a bit of History)
•LEADER I (1991-1995) Experimental
•LEADER II (1996-1999) Experimental
•LEADER+ (2000-2006)
“Mainstreaming” of LEADER within EU’s rural
development programme: European Fund for
Agriculture and Rural Development (EAFRD)
leads to...
•LEADER approach (2007-2013)
•LEADER (2014-2020)(More Later!)
6. To sum
•Not just a funding stream. A mechanism to tackle
rural economic underperformance and deprivation
through community economic development.
•A tool for rural communities: they know best their
needs, helping communities help themselves.
•A way to mobilise local resources, build social
capital and partnerships.
•An alternative to more classical development
policies: ‘bottom-up’ versus ‘top-down’.
8. ...for innovation
Associating
Leads to
Interests
Engagement capacities
Know how
Points of view
Broader views
More effective
implementation More mature
projects
More sustainable
actions
Different
Partners
New associations of the
areas ideas
10. Yorkshire Dales LAG
Annual meeting
Informs strategic vision
Appoints/Elects Executive board
Delegates decision making
Yorkshire Dales
wider community
Review and
Advisory Board
Annual LAG
Performance review
Alignment with
regional strategy
Executive Board
(Decision making body)
Maximum 14
Meets quarterly (minimum)
Delivers strategic vision
Overview of Programme
Lead Partner
(Yorkshire Dales Millennium
Trust)
Programme Co-ordinator
Development of Programme
proposals
Publicity and
communication
Lead Partner
(Yorkshire Dales Millennium
Trust)
Programme Co-ordinator
Development of Programme
proposals
Publicity and
communication
Accountable Body
(North Yorkshire County
Council)
Programme Manager
Technical Appraisal
Financial Administration
Contract Holder
Accountable Body
(North Yorkshire County
Council)
Programme Manager
Technical Appraisal
Financial Administration
Contract Holder
Defra Rural Payments
Agency
RDPE Delivery
Defra Rural Payments
Agency
RDPE Delivery
LAG Structure 2014-2020, Accountability:
11. The full Executive Group consists of the following Voting members:
6 Public Sector members, 8 non-public sector
Sector: Organisation/sub-sector
Public Sector
YNYER LEP/Leeds City Region LEP
(advisory and non-voting).
Appointed from:
4 Local Authorities (3 votes),
1 YDNPA,
2 AONB’s (1 vote),
1 NYCC.
Private Sector Elected from the LAG :
1 Agriculture,
1 SME Business Support,
1 Forestry,
1 Tourism (VACANCY)
3 SME rural business .
Voluntary/Community Sector Elected from the LAG :
1 Tourism, Forestry, Agriculture, SME
Business Support, or Community services
sectors.
LAG Executive Membership 2014
12. A chair/vice person will: A chair/vice person will not:
•Make all members feel valued
•Be the person who talks most at the
meetings
•Strive for consensus, using his/her
casting vote sparingly
•Make all the decisions
•Listen to others
•Allow one or two people to dominate
meetings
•Encourage new faces where relevant •Cut people out of discussions
•Plan for the future •Allow meetings to become unproductive
•Make new members feel welcome •Make people feel foolish or useless
•Allow others to take responsibility •Force people to contribute to discussions
•Keep calm •Lose his/her temper
•Know when to stand down •Stay too long
Chair and Vice Chair- a vital role
13. Chair and Vice Chair- Responsibilities
•Agree Agenda prior to meeting with Accountable
Body
•Sign off Minutes for approval
•Summarise decisions and make sure everyone agrees
•Allocate tasks where required
•Keep meeting to time
•Support everyone to get their views across
•Clarify issues/positions before the meeting attempts
to come to an agreement
AND it is to EVERYONE to support the Chair/Vice Chair
in this role!
14. Consultation on YD LEADER 2014-20
•“Scene setting” events
•Public consultation events
•Online Surveys
•E news Burst
•Consultation with local organisations, public
sector, York, North Yorkshire & East Riding
Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Leeds City
Region LEP.
•One to One with Business, Agriculture and
Tourism Groups
• Desk Review of Local Development
Strategies
15. Vision of YD LEADER 2014-20
“To grow a sustainable rural
economy by developing diverse
economic growth and creating
sustainable communities,
capitalising on the areas
internationally recognised distinctive
environment, landscape, culture
and heritage.”
16. Aims of YD LEADER 2014-20
Theme 1: Capitalising on a distinctive environment
and cultural landscape
•To support and build on a distinctive, living, working and cultural
landscape that tells the ongoing story of generations of people interacting
with their environment and underpins a flourishing local economy.
•To ensure farmers, landowners and other land-based businesses are
managing profitable enterprises based on the sustainable use of the
natural resources, landscape and cultural heritage of the Dales, providing
jobs and other essential services to the local and regional economies.
•To develop high quality recreational and tourism enterprise which build
on the area’s communities, culture, heritage and environmental
resources.
17. Theme 2: Developing a diverse rural economy
•To develop a vibrant, dynamic and diverse rural economy to increase
economic prosperity, productivity and growth within the Yorkshire
Dales LEADER area through the sustainable and creative development
of rural businesses, communities, green infrastructure, the natural,
cultural and heritage assets of the area.
•To support local people to develop a culture of enterprise and
innovation through the development of micro-businesses and start-up
support which build upon the natural and heritage opportunities of the
area.
•To maximise the participation of local people and businesses in the
growth of the rural economy, including training and innovative projects
to give access to new employment opportunities, including enterprise,
entrepreneurship and enhanced employability skills for local young
people.
18. Theme 3: Creating sustainable communities
•To build on existing skills and confidence of people to create
sustainable, vibrant, living communities, working within their
own communities, and with other communities, sharing
expertise and experience.
•To sustain and support local rural services.
19. •Support for micro/small enterprise and farm
diversification
•Support for increasing farm productivity
•Support for increasing forestry productivity
•Support for rural tourism
•Provision of rural services
•Support for cultural and heritage activity.
Defra Main Policy Priorities for LEADER Investment
So using this and the agreed aims of each Yorkshire
Dales Theme we developed 6 Strategic Priorities for
action highlighting broad type of activity and
agreed how much of a budget would be spent
under each
20. Our Strategic Priorities for LEADER Investment
Priority 1: Strengthen the tourism industry building on the culture,
heritage and natural assets, and the Dales identity.
Priority 2: Improve the sustainability for upland land management
in the Dales.
Priority 3: Support the development of the local bioenergy and
renewable energy supply chains.
Priority 4: Encourage entrepreneurship and enable business growth
Priority 5: Encourage the participation of young people and
women in rural enterprise
Priority 6: Sustain and Enhance rural services.
Part of a family of European Funds called the European Structural Investment Funds (ESI Funds)
In the UK it fits in →
It came about as a result of the reform of EU funds in the late 80’s as a response to critism about lack of project co-ordination. The idea was to enlist the energy and resources of people and bodies that could contribute to rural development by forming partnerships at a sub-regional local level between the public, private and civil sectors.
It’s not a new approach. Leader has been operating over Europe for 20 odd years. Experimental in disadvantaged rural areas. From 2000 expanded to all rural areas.
As an area we ran a successful LEADER Programme in 2007-2013
And you will be beginning to realise we are awash with acronyms
All of these 7 features must be present to get the LEADER methodology right
Area based . An area-based approach takes a small, socially cohesive area, often characterised by common traditions, a local identity, a sense of belonging or common needs and expectations, as the target area for implementating a Local Development Strategy. Having such an area as a reference helps the recognition of local strengths and weaknesses, threats and opportunities, the potential for sustainable development.
Bottom up approach. means that local people in that area -the population at large, economic and social interest groups and representative public and private organisations, participate in decision-making about the strategy and in the selection of the priorities to be pursued in their local area.
- Public-private partnerships (Local Action Groups). The local partnerships for area development work through a structured governance mechanism–the Local Action Group (LAG). The Local Action Group (LAG) should consist of public and private partners, be well-balanced and representative of the existing local interest groups and be drawn from the different socio-economic sectors in the area. At the decision-making level the private partners and associations must make up at least 50 % of the partnership
- Integrated approach (across sectors) For the purpose of developing the Local Development Strategy (LDS), an area needs are explored in an integrated way, rather than focus on development needs of specific sectors. The LDS must integrate relevant development needs for all sectors to achieve the desired common goals. The actions and projects contained in local strategies should be linked and coordinated as a coherent whole. The LAG brings together the different interests and interest groups allowing for different points of view which can be fertile ground for partnership and innovation.
- Innovativation The LAG must bring new elements and solutions to the development of its area. In the design of the strategy and project selection decisions the LAG must be able to tolerate certain amount of risk – otherwise the most surprising and innovative ideas would always become disqualified.
- Cooperation & Networking, The LAG is a network itself but it should also look around and cooperate with other development organisations on local, regional, national and international levels.
Networking is a means of transferring good practice, of disseminating innovation and building on the lessons learned from local rural development. Networking forges links between people, projects and rural areas and so can help overcome the isolation faced by some rural regions. It can help stimulate co-operation projects by putting LEADER groups in touch with each other.
Co-operation goes further than networking. It involves a Local Action Group undertaking a joint project with another LEADER group, or with a group taking a similar approach, in another region, Member State, or even a third country. Cooperation with other regions is often the best source of innovation for the LAGs. From new viewpoints you can better see the new opportunities. In the European rural development policy LEADER has the main responsibility for transnational cooperation.
Local financing and management used to be a specific feature – no longer
No other fund devolves the decision making back to the local people in quite this way
LEADER is a good mechanism to raise the social and economic standing of an area – it works on the principle that the rising tide will gradually raise all the boats. it’s not just a funding stream, because a lot of the packaging around it makes it look like one. LEADER is a game-changer.
.
As the Local Action Group you represent the interests of the leader area and its’ communities, helped form the Local Development Strategy and will implement the programme and wield the power of decision. aim is to build trust between you all because through the Partnership we can achieve so much more
The area is characterised by upland livestock agriculture with mixed and arable farming at the fringes. This landscape is rich with distinctive cultural and historic attractions that enhance its popularity as a tourist destination. It includes the protected landscape areas of Yorkshire Dales National Park (excluding that within the County of Cumbria) and Nidderdale AONB whilst partially covering Forest of Bowland AONB. It is entirely within the County boundary of North Yorkshire and covers the Districts of Craven, Richmondshire and parts of Harrogate Borough and Hambleton District.
In addition to the upland area that is traditionally known as the Yorkshire Dales, and in recognition of the economic and social ties between the remote upland communities and adjoining service centres, the boundary includes the hub towns of Skipton in the south, Ripon in the east, and Catterick Garrison in the north-east. These hub towns share less of the geographical characteristics of the wider Yorkshire Dales area, however their economies are intrinsically linked with the wider LEADER area.
The wider community – the 98,000 odd population that are the beneficiaries of the Programme. From this we draw our Local Action Group, the ones who guide our LEADER programme and delagate the decision making to the appointed/elected Executive.
NYCC are the Accountable body, they hold the contracts with any project the Executive support for funding, they hold the contract and accountability with Defra. Defra are the England Managing Authority for the whole Rural Development Programme.
Review and Advisory Board – these are 2 boards at present, the Advisory Board, not yet met, is an Officer Group, they are here to help with specialist advice where required and facilitates ideas and proposals that will help us achieve the priorities in the LDS. Lead Partner -the Yorkshire Dales Millenium Trust –employ the co-ordinator to keep communication flowing between the partnership and are the on-the-ground face of LEADER, the first point of contact for and potential applicant. All of the people involved in this are the LEADER Partnership.
The key findings of a consultation process that started in Jan 2014 and ended in August identified the Priority areas and themes that were important to the communities of our LEADER area. This formed the evidence for a bid to Defra for LEADER status in the next Rural Development Programme. we had to make a case as to why we needed the extra funding for our rural area and what we would do with it. From all the consultations our Transition Executive agreed the Vision
what we wanted to do by the end of 2020.
under that we grouped the specific aims under 3 Themes
We had detailed guidance from Defra about the areas that they wanted to see activity funded in-
All agreed by the previous Executive Group and subsequently approved in principle by defra
