Last year the government announced changes in local government.  While it is not clear yet, it is expected that these changes will have a big impact on community organisations.

The local government reform programme is proposing that funding for community development activity is decided by an interagency group at a county level.  County Councillors will have a key role to play on this group.  Sligo County Community Forum is also advocating that the community sector in Sligo have a key role to play in this proposed group.

All of these proposals are at an early stage, and nobody knows yet how it will turn out in reality.  However, Sligo County Community Forum is watching developments closely and linking with our colleagues on the Community Pillar.

To keep the community sector up to date with developments, and build support for the community sector in the County, we will be holding a seminar in September to raise public awareness and make decisions about the way forward to ensure the best interests of the community and voluntary sector are protected.

To learn more about the proposed changes go to:  http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/LocalGovernmentReform/ .  At this site you will find a document entitled ‘Putting People First’ which outlines that …

Local and Community Development (Chapter 4)

Local government will have a central role in the oversight and planning of local and community development programmes, through arrangements based on the report of a Steering Group on the alignment of the local government and local development sectors, which is published on the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG) internet site www.environ. ie. The Group’s main recommendations include:

• a Socio-Economic Committee in each city/county council for planning and oversight of local and community development programmes;
• an inter-departmental group to secure a ‘whole-of-government approach’;
• a national policy to establish a framework for a cross-government approach to local and community development at local level, and a common approach to budgets, costs and targeting of resources;
• a 5-year City/County Local and Community Plan forming a component of the overall City/County Development Plan;
• alignment of the areas of the local and community development programme with city/county boundaries as far as possible;

If these changes are implemented it will bring changes for the community and voluntary sector in the County.  Keep in touch with the community forum to keep up to date with this issue and ensure a strong voice for the community sector in Sligo is maintained.

Details on the September seminar will be posted here shortly.

This action is being funded by the PEACE III Programme through the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by Sligo County Council on behalf of Sligo Peace & Reconciliation Partnership Committee.

Happy Christmas to all of our E bulletin subscribers.  To access the December E Bulletin click here:  December E Bulletin

Participants who took part in the management committee training, October 2012

Two of Sligo County Community Forum’s membership groups recently took up the offer of governance training.  The training was delivered for the forum by Claire Galligan.  The two groups – Sligo Travellers Support Group and West Sligo Family Resource Centre – both felt the training was of great benefit to them and covered all aspects of the roles and responsibilities of board members.  The training includes aspects of staff management, recruitment, policies and procedures, funding, roles of subcommittees, limited company obligations etc.  The forum is currently seeking funding to carry out this training again next year and will accept requests from membership groups who would like to avail of this training.

Two new reports were released today by the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government.  They set out proposed changes in local government and how local services will be ‘aligned’ at a local level.

Sligo County Community Forum is currently reviewing these documents and will give their response in due course.  However, they welcome the committment in these reports to the role of the citizen and community involvement in local government.  In the final report on allignment it says:  It  is the Steering Group’s view that meaningful community engagement and involvement within this framework will be essential in identifying actual needs and agreeing the services to be delivered.  It is vital, therefore, that the bottom-up approach, with a focus on targeting those most in need and facilitating meaningful citizen participation, is embedded as an integral part of the planning and decision-making process as well as in the delivery of services“.  A spokesperson for Sligo County Community Forum said “we hope this means an enhanced role for local fora in the future”

Link to the reports ‘A guide to Putting People First:  Action Programme for effective local government”

It  is the Steering Group’s view that meaningful community engagement and involvement within this framework will be essential in identifying actual needs and agreeing the services to be delivered.  It is vital, therefore, that the bottom-up approach, with a focus on targeting those most in need and facilitating meaningful citizen participation, is embedded as an integral part of the planning and decision-making process as well as in the delivery of services.

All members who joined by August 2012, should now have received nomination papers for elections to the Executive of the Sligo County Community Forum.  Nomination papers should be returned by October 26th.  Don’t forget that if you are being nominated as a geographic rep, you need two other groups from your area to sign the nomination paper also.  Best of luck and get your nomination forms in on time.

The October E Bulletin is now available to download.  Please ensure any message you want to include in the next E Bulletin are submitted by October 31st.  October 2012 E Bulletin