A Tipperary TD says the dismantling of the LEADER programme was an abject failure and a mess.
Mattie McGrath was speaking in the Dáil last night about funding for community projects, and he mentioned specifically Newcastle Muintir na Tíre who are looking to extend their community hall.
They were granted 139,000 euro under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme in 2019 but they have to make up a fifth of that themselves.
Deputy McGrath says that has proved impossible in the current COVID situation:
“They have to make up 20% of that funding, which comes to 35-odd thousand euro. In the 2020 Renewal scheme – the same programme – it’s only 10% that they have to make up from the local community.
“So they’re finding it extremely difficult. They simply can’t make up the 35,000 because they can’t fundraise with the present crisis.
“They’re in danger of losing this funding, Minister. And I’d ask you, or someone in your department, to have a meeting with them. And there are many more communities in the same position.
“Surely they can come in under this year’s guidelines and there’d be a bit of flexibility because of COVID.”
Deputy McGrath also spoke on the subject of the government’s ‘Ireland 2040’ programme, which he says is causing “the ruination of rural Ireland.”
According to the Independent TD, the programme is impeding on every local authority’s own county development plan, because there’s a push to have people living in more urban areas.
He told the Dáil that it’s preventing people from getting planning permission in more rural areas:
“The 2040 Development Plan is overarching and it’s the ruination of rural Ireland and it has to be dismantled.
“It has to be derailed. We have very few railways left now Ceann Chomhairle as you know, but this train must be taken off the track and halted immediately.
“Whether we have to do a hijack on it or something else, but it has to be derailed because we need to get back basics and allow communities, allow people to live in rural Ireland. Allow them to live and get planning and to work and grow their families.”
