Donegal Local Community Development Committee (LCDC)
In October 2012, the Government published a document entitled Putting People First which set out recommendations for the alignment of local government and local development. These changes aimed to:
- provide a more central coordinating role for local government in local and community development;
- achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in local and community development programming; and
- improve the delivery of services for citizens and communities.
Legislation based on the recommendations came into effect on June 1st 2014 under Part 6 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014. The first meeting of the Donegal Local Community Development Committee took place on the 1st July 2014 and meetings continue to take place on a bi-monthly basis.
Donegal Local Community Development Committee works in partnership to:
- prepare the community elements of a 6-year Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP),
- coordinate, manage and oversee the implementation of local and community development programmes,
- coordinate local and community development activity in Donegal with the aim of reducing overlaps, avoiding duplication and improving the targeting of resources.
Local Community Development Committees are made up of public and private sector members, including local authority members and officials, State agencies, private sector and local and community development representatives.
The LCDC receives administrative and technical support from Donegal County Council. The Chief Officer, assigned by the Chief Executive of Donegal County Council to support and assist this committee in the exercise of its functions is Paddy Doherty, Divisional Manager, Community & Enterprise Division. The key function of the Chief Officer is to work jointly with the Chairperson to provide guidance and strategic direction for the LCDC. Donegal LCDC is made up of 19 members as follows:
|
Members Name |
Sector |
Organisation
|
|
Chairperson |
|
|
|
Cllr. Martin McDermott |
Local Authority Councillor |
Donegal County Council |
|
Vice Chairperson |
|
|
|
Cllr. Niamh Kennedy |
Local Authority Councillor |
Donegal County Council |
|
Mr. John McLaughlin |
Local Authority official, Chief Executive Officer |
Donegal County Council |
|
Ms. Brenda Hegarty |
Local Authority Official, Local Enterprise Office |
Donegal County Council |
|
Cllr. Brian Carr |
Local Authority Councillor |
Donegal County Council |
|
Mr. Paul Hannigan |
State Agencies |
Letterkenny Institute of Technology |
|
Ms. Maria Ferguson |
State Agencies |
Health Service Executive |
|
Mr. Michael Mac Giolla Easbuig |
State Agencies |
Udaras na Gaeltachta |
|
Ms Anne McHugh |
State Agencies |
Education Training Board |
|
Ms. Andrew Ward |
Local Development Company |
Inishowen Development Partnership |
|
Mr. Padraic Fingleton |
Local Development Company |
Donegal Local Development Company |
|
Ms. Siobhan McLaughlin |
Social Inclusion Interest |
PPN |
|
Vacant |
Social Inclusion Interest |
PPN |
|
Ms. Charlene Logue |
Community Voluntary Interest |
PPN |
|
Mr. Joe Boland |
Community Voluntary Interest |
PPN |
|
Mr. Aengus Kennedy |
Environmental Interest |
PPN |
|
Mr. Liam McElhinney |
Trade Union |
ICTU |
|
Mr. James O’Donnell |
Farming & Agriculture |
Famers Rep |
|
Ms. Maire Ui Mhaolain |
Islands interest |
Comhar na nOileán |
Donegal LCDC Meetings take place every month and are held in County House, Lifford. The adopted minutes of the LCDC meetings for 2023 and 2024 can be found below:
2024 Meetings
LCDC Minutes 250924
|
Date |
Time |
Venue |
|
Tuesday, 23rd January 2024 |
10.00 am |
Blended Meeting - Lifford/Web Conference |
|
Tuesday, 27th February 2024 |
10.00 am |
Blended Meeting - Lifford/Web Conference |
|
Wednesday, 20th March 2024 |
10.00 am |
Blended Meeting - Lifford/Web Conference |
|
Wednesday, 10th April 2024 |
10.00 am |
Blended Meeting - Lifford/Web Conference |
|
Wednesday, 15th May 2024 |
2.00 pm |
Blended Meeting - Lifford/Web Conference |
|
Wednesday, 24th July 2024 |
10.00 am |
Blended Meeting - Lifford/Web Conference |
|
Wednesday, 25th September 2024 |
10.00 am |
Blended Meeting - Lifford/Web Conference |
|
Tuesday, 15th October 2024 |
10.00 am | Blended Meeting - Lifford/Web Conference |
|
Wednesday, 13th November 2024 |
10.00 am |
Blended Meeting - Lifford/Web Conference |
|
Wednesday, 18th December 2024 |
10.00 am |
Blended Meeting - Lifford/Web Conference |
LCDC's are required to prepare an Annual Report by the 31st March each year and to submit the report to the local authority. The Annual Report provides information on the performance and work of the LCDC over the previous year including achievements made and details of ongoing priority working areas. The Donegal LCDC Annual Report was presented to the March Council Meeting as set out below
The LCDC is the body with responsibility for the management, co-ordination and delivery of a number of programmes. The current work of the LCDC includes:
- The Local Economic Community Plan (LECP)
- The LEADER / Rural Development Programme
- The Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP)
The Donegal Local Economic & Community Plan 2016- 2022 (LECP) was adopted by Donegal County Council on 25th January 2016. It aims to promote economic development and community development in the County over the next 6 years. The Donegal LCDC has responsibility for the oversight of the Community aspects of this Plan whilst the Economic aspects of the Plan fall under the remit of the Economic Development Committee.
The Donegal LECP was developed following a wide consultative process involving individuals, the community and voluntary sector, the business community, sectoral focus groups, other statutory and non- statutory organisations and the collaborative work of the LCDC and Economic Development Committee. The result of the collaborative process undertaken is the preparation of a Partnership Plan which addresses the issues, needs and opportunities of the County across all of the sectors and which consists of a significant regional, (including cross border) dimension.
Aims and Objectives
The Vision of the Plan is stated as follows:
“To connect Donegal’s people and places, harness it’s economic opportunities and to achieve strong, healthy, inclusive and sustainable communities”
The vision underpins and connects the goals, objectives and actions of the Plan. There are 7 priority Goals of the Plan:
- To Develop Donegal as a Connected Place
- To Harness Donegal’s Natural and Human Capital
- To Value, Sustain and Develop Our Culture and Creative resource
- To Promote Sustainable, Inclusive and Healthy Communities
- To Develop Donegal as a Lead Region for Learning, Research and Innovation
- To Develop the ‘Donegal’ Brand
- To Promote Entrepreneurship, Investment and Enterprise
Each Goal has a number of linked high level objectives designed to deliver and achieve each Goal and to respond to the particular areas of priority need that have been identified. The high level objectives will be implemented through a series of actions (see Volume 2 below) which are the primary mechanism to deliver the Goals and Objectives of the Plan by bringing forward specific measures for economic and community development at a local level.
The Plan consists of 2 Volumes and 2 Appendices:
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA)
Determinations have been made that (i) the LECP is not likely to have significant effects on the environment and therefore a Strategic Environmental Assessment is not required and also that; (ii) the LECP is not likely to have significant impacts on the Network of Natura 2000 Sites and therefore an Appropriate Assessment is not required. The determinations in relation to SEA and AA can be viewed at the links below:
