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Communities in Northumberland will decide how a £2.1m budget of rural funding is used to promote economic development in the county over the next three years.
The multi-million pound fund has been formally approved by One North East as part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).
The cash will be allocated to local projects by two partnerships - Northumberland Uplands and Northumberland Coast and Lowlands - made up of local residents, farmers, landowners, businesses and community groups, using a special approach to rural development called NEW LEADER.
LEADER is a community-led, ‘bottom-up’ approach to rural development, which is being used to deliver at least 5% of the new RDPE - the equivalent of around £4.5m in North East England over the next three years.
NEW LEADER involves these broad-based community partnerships - known as Local Action Groups (LAGs) - in developing a regeneration strategy for their area, called a Local Development Strategy.
The partnerships then decide on investment priorities for their areas and manage the projects they want to carry out. Northumberland’s LAGs are already exploring ideas including new ways of delivering rural services, developing rural businesses, improving play facilities for children, developing village halls and community centres, tourist information leaflets, and youth training projects.
NEW LEADER coordinators have just been appointed and will be the first point of contact for anyone interested in making an application for NEW LEADER funding.
Tom Burston, from Wooler, will work with the Local Action Group for Northumberland Uplands. He has previously managed rural projects in northern Pakistan and Afghanistan, working closely with village organisations to improve local participation in development projects.
Tom said: “This funding will have a tangible impact on our local communities and it’s great to be involved. I am looking forward to hearing about new and innovative projects for consideration.”
Meanwhile, Ivan Hewitt, from Bedlington, will coordinate the work of the Northumberland Coast and Lowlands partnership. Ivan has spent his career working on projects to set up social enterprises, drive business start-ups and provide training for local residents and businesses.
He added: “I’m glad to have been offered the opportunity to play a part in helping Northumberland’s communities access valuable funding and shape their local areas.”
One North East’s rural board member, Ian Brown, added: “This is an important step forward for Northumberland’s NEW LEADER partnerships. They now know exactly how much funding they will have to invest and can start considering proposals from local projects.
“The great thing about NEW LEADER is that it’s about local solutions and local plans - so they can be really flexible about how they want to use this funding.”
NEW LEADER is being administered in Northumberland with the support of the Northumberland Strategic Partnership (NSP), the Northumberland National Park Authority (NNPA) and the East Northumberland Regeneration Initiative (ENRGI).
For more information on LEADER in the Northumberland Uplands, visit: www.nnpa.org.uk/leader. For more details on LEADER in the Northumberland Coast and Lowlands visit: www.enrgi.co.uk.
Contact Tom Burston on tel: (01669) 622063 or email: TBurston@nnpa.org.uk and Ivan Hewitt on tel: (01670) 863 007 or email: ivanhewitt@enrgi.co.uk
The Rural Development Programme for England 2007-2013 is jointly funded by Defra and the European Commission, with the aim of delivering targeted support to rural businesses and communities. It is managed in the region by One North East, Natural England and the Forestry Commission.
For more information on RDPE in North East England, visit: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/rurdev/index_en.htm, http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/rdpe/index.htm, www.rdpenortheast.co.uk
Media contact: Wendy Gallagher at persuasion public relations on 0845 071 0678, wendy.gallagher@persuasion-pr.com.
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