Policy information
Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs)
From Department of Rural and Community Development
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LCDCs are groups established in each local authority area.
An LCDC is made up of:
- members of the local authority
- local authority staff
- people from public bodies who provide funding to the area
- people from the local community interests
- people from the local community
- people from publicly funded/supported local development groups
LCDCs draw on the expertise and experience of public and private people and organisations in each local authority area.
LCDCs are responsible for:
- co-ordinating, planning and overseeing local and community development funding
- bringing a more joined-up approach to the running of local and community development programmes and interventions
- pursuing an integrated approach to local community based services across providers and delivery structures
- promoting meaningful citizen and community engagement in the planning and evaluation of development programmes
- pursuing a more cost-efficient administration of local and community development programmes and delivery structures
- matching resources to priorities
- ensuring better value for money in the management and delivery of programmes
- focusing on learning and feedback, enhancing the links between services delivery and policy development
- pursuing opportunities for additional funding for the area, whether exchequer, EU, private or other sources
Further information is available on the relevant Local Community Development Committees List.
The Putting People First - Action Programme for Effective Local Government was published in October 2012. It recommended the introduction of LCDCs in each local authority area as a way of improving community development and giving local government a more central role in local and community development.
The Local Government Reform Act 2014 provides a stronger and clearer role for local government in economic development and community development. This is a key element in achieving the vision set out in Putting People First - Action Programme for Effective Local Government: that “local government will be the main vehicle of governance and public service at local level, leading economic, social and community development”.
The Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) plan sets out, for a six-year period, the objectives and actions needed to promote and support the economic development and the local and community development of the relevant local authority area, both by itself directly and in partnership with other economic and community development stakeholders. As the framework for the economic development and local/community development of the local authority area, the LECP should also be the primary mechanism at local level to bring forward relevant actions arising from national and regional strategies and policies that have a local remit.
The process for the development of the LECP is set out in the Act, with the economic elements of the plan developed and monitored by the Strategic Policy Committees (SPC) for Economic development and Enterprise and the community elements developed and monitored by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDC). The approval of the integrated plan is a reserved function of the Local Authority.
A key function of the LCDCs is to prepare the community elements of 6-year Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs).
The purpose of the plan is to promote the local and community development of each local authority area. This is done through a coordinated approach to planning and service delivery.
The plan focuses on measures which will:
- enhance the quality of life and wellbeing of communities, including measures aimed at tackling poverty, disadvantage and social inclusion
- support training, upskilling and jobs creation
- enable the provision of infrastructure and community facilities
- support the capacity of local communities to improve their quality of life
- develop sustainable solutions that make the best use of existing local assets, strengths and opportunities
- support social enterprise, social capital, volunteering and active citizenship, and
- foster community involvement in policy development and decision-making processes relating to planning, development and delivery of services
Published LECPS can be viewed on the relevant Local Authority website . You can also view the Local Economic and Community Plans Guidelines.
The Department of Rural and Community Development has recently completed the LCDC Review - see below. This was announced by Minister Ring on 28 August 2019. The aim of the review is to build and inform the ongoing development of LCDCs.
Review of Local Community Development Committees
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The department hosted a national networking event for LCDCs in November 2019, in line with Objective 1, Recommendation 5 in the LCDC Review.
The purpose of the event was to support LCDC members to recognise themselves as Leaders of their communities and to encourage them to collaborate fully with other Leaders as they engage with the work of their LCDC.
- Leadership and collaboration in general, which was led by Dr Rob Worrall, IPA.
- Stephen Gallagher, Director for Local Government and Communities, Scotland provided an overview of implementing the Collective Leadership Programme in Scotland.
- Hayley Lever, Moving Leaders in Greater Manchester shared her experience of the Leading GM Programme. She also told us about Active Soles: twitter.com/hashtag/activesoles.
- The participants took part in an interactive workshop facilitated by Dr Tara Shine and Madeleine Murray, Change by Degrees. The workshop looked at leadership in Climate Action. It provided a grounding in climate change, its causes, impacts and solutions.
