Regeneration and Health & Strategic Projects Cabinet Member – Minutes – 15 March 2016

7 (7) COMMUNITY LED LOCAL DEVELOPMENT – The Director of Places submitted a report updating the Cabinet Member on progress with delivering Community Led Local Development (CLLD) in North Lincolnshire, seeking approval of both the stage 1 application for European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF), and to establish a post of CLLD Project Officer using secured ESIF.

CLLD was developed as a multi-fund approach to bottom-up community development as part of the 2014-2020 ESIF Growth Programme for England.  The principles of the programme were:

• Bottom-up, focused on sub regional areas
• Strategies developed and led by Local Action Groups
• Integrated/multi sectoral area based strategies
• Innovative and driven by local need and potential

Under CLLD, local people took the initiative in forming a local partnership (a Local Action Group) to design and implement an integrated development strategy.  For this, the partnership received long-term funding. They then decided how it was spent.

ESIF CLLD activity would tackle a broad range of issues that presented barriers to labour market participation. These might include caring responsibilities; debt; digital inclusion; health, mental health and well-being problems.

All CLLD activity must address specific locally identified needs in support of growth at community level.  This should focus on interventions that added value to local strategies which could not adequately be met through mainstream ESIF provision and were more tailored to local area characteristics and need.

The report gave details of the bid process and funding already received by the council for Stage 1 activity.

Resolved – (a) That the offer of European funding be accepted; (b) that the creation of a six month, fixed term Community Led Local Development Project Officer post, as set out in the report, be approved and (c) that regular updates be submitted to the Cabinet Member on progress with the Local Development Strategy and Local Action Group.