Ayrshire Update

Ayrshire Update from Billy McKissock, Rural Development Officer.

Here is a short update on where we are with LEADER here in Ayrshire.

We have taken advantage of the kind offer from the Scottish Executive (Scottish Government) of £17,000 to be used by proposed LAGS in the preparation of the Local Development Strategy and Business Plan by employing Fraser Associates, Management and Economics Consultants to produce both the strategy and the business plan for us. The decision to do this was taken by a Steering group consisting of the Three Ayrshire Local Authorities and the Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan team.

The Consultants have interviewed 20 organisation representatives, agreed by the Steering Group, and are in the process of holding focus group meetings in each of the three local authority areas. All the stakeholders in the Steering Group have also supplied the Consultants with as much data as possible to assist the process. The Consultants have also done their own desk base research coupled with their experience of previous LEADER and EU funding programmes.

Where are we now? Our initial note of interest for LEADER has been accepted by the Scottish Government and we have been invited to submit our bid for LEADER funding. The Steering Group initially decided to put forward a bid to the first round of LEADER funding but we have been advised by both the Consultants and the Scottish Executive that we would, as new proposed LAG, be better placed coming in at the second round as we have not even began capacity building for the new programme.
There is a Steering Group meeting scheduled to take place on the 29th November where within the agenda will be proposals to officially invite Members of the first LAG to sit, as we wish the first full LAG to have their say in the draft documents delivered by the Consultants. Here in Ayrshire we are quite likely to focus attention, possibly in the first year, on building capacity before we actually deliver projects guided by the strategic plan.

All the research and analysis has been done, as has refining of questionnaires and the face to face interviews. The focus groups take place 27th and 28th November, a first robust draft report will delivered at the beginning of December with the final Local Development Strategy and Business Plan presented to the Ayrshire LAG in early January 2008. The Ayrshire LAG will then submit the bid for LEADER monies in February.”

Billy McKissock, Rural Development Officer, South Ayrshire Council, Ayr. 01292 616226