Donegal Local Community Development Committee (LCDC)
In October 2012, the Government published a document entitled Putting People First which set out recommendations for the alignment of local government and local development. These changes aimed to:
- provide a more central coordinating role for local government in local and community development;
- achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in local and community development programming; and
- improve the delivery of services for citizens and communities.
Legislation based on the recommendations came into effect on June 1st 2014 under Part 6 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014. The first meeting of the Donegal Local Community Development Committee took place on the 1st July 2014 and meetings continue to take place on a bi-monthly basis.
Donegal Local Community Development Committee works in partnership to:
- prepare the community elements of a 6-year Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP),
- coordinate, manage and oversee the implementation of local and community development programmes,
- coordinate local and community development activity in Donegal with the aim of reducing overlaps, avoiding duplication and improving the targeting of resources.
Local Community Development Committees are made up of public and private sector members, including local authority members and officials, State agencies, private sector and local and community development representatives.
The LCDC receives administrative and technical support from Donegal County Council. The Chief Officer, assigned by the Chief Executive of Donegal County Council to support and assist this committee in the exercise of its functions is Paddy Doherty, Divisional Manager, Community & Enterprise Division. The key function of the Chief Officer is to work jointly with the Chairperson to provide guidance and strategic direction for the LCDC. Donegal LCDC is made up of 19 members as follows:
|
Members Name |
Sector |
Organisation
|
|
Chairperson |
|
|
|
Cllr. Martin McDermott |
Local Authority Councillor |
Donegal County Council |
|
Vice Chairperson |
|
|
|
Cllr. Niamh Kennedy |
Local Authority Councillor |
Donegal County Council |
|
Mr. John McLaughlin |
Local Authority official, Chief Executive Officer |
Donegal County Council |
|
Ms. Brenda Hegarty |
Local Authority Official, Local Enterprise Office |
Donegal County Council |
|
Cllr. Brian Carr |
Local Authority Councillor |
Donegal County Council |
|
Ms. EveAnne McCarron |
State Agencies |
Letterkenny Institute of Technology |
|
Ms. Anne McAteer |
State Agencies |
Health Service Executive |
|
Mr. Michael Mac Giolla Easbuig |
State Agencies |
Udaras na Gaeltachta |
|
Ms Anne McHugh |
State Agencies |
Education Training Board |
|
Ms Shauna McClenaghan |
Local Development Company |
Inishowen Development Partnership |
|
Mr. Padraic Fingleton |
Local Development Company |
Donegal Local Development Company |
|
Ms. Siobhan McLaughlin |
Social Inclusion Interest |
PPN |
|
Ms. Máire UíChomhaill |
Social Inclusion Interest |
PPN |
|
Ms. Charlene Logue |
Community Voluntary Interest |
PPN |
|
Mr. Joe Boland |
Community Voluntary Interest |
PPN |
|
Mr. Aengus Kennedy |
Environmental Interest |
PPN |
|
Ms. Marie Little |
Trade Union |
ICTU |
|
Mr. James O’Donnell |
Farming & Agriculture |
Famers Rep |
|
Ms. Maire Ui Mhaolain |
Islands interest |
Comhar na nOileán |
Donegal LCDC Meetings take place every month and are held in County House, Lifford. The adopted minutes of the LCDC meetings for 2023, 2024 and 2025 can be found below:
2025 Meetings
2024 Meetings
LCDC Minutes 250924
LAG/LCDC Schedule of Meetings 2025
|
Date |
Time |
|
Tuesday 21st January 2025 |
Cancelled |
|
Wednesday 19th February 2025 |
2pm |
|
Wednesday 19th March 2025 |
10.00 am |
|
Wednesday 9th April 2025 |
Cancelled |
|
Wednesday 14th May 2025 |
2pm |
|
Wednesday 11th June 2025 |
10.00 am |
|
Wednesday 9th July 2025 |
10.00 am |
|
Wednesday 17th September 2025 |
10.00 am |
|
Wednesday 15th October 2025, |
10.00 am |
|
Wednesday 12th November 2025 |
10.00 am |
|
Wednesday 10th December 2025 |
10.00 am |
LCDC's are required to prepare an Annual Report by the 31st March each year and to submit the report to the local authority. The Annual Report provides information on the performance and work of the LCDC over the previous year including achievements made and details of ongoing priority working areas. The Donegal LCDC Annual Report was presented to the March Council Meeting as set out below
The LCDC is the body with responsibility for the management, co-ordination and delivery of a number of programmes. The current work of the LCDC includes:
- The Local Economic Community Plan (LECP)
- The LEADER / Rural Development Programme
- The Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme (SICAP)
The Donegal Local Economic & Community Plan 2023- 2029 (LECP) was adopted by Donegal County Council in March 2024. The specific purpose of the LECP is to set out, for a six-year period, the objectives and actions needed to promote and support economic and community development within the Donegal Local Authority area, both by itself directly and in partnership with other economic and development stakeholders. In doing so, the LECP is one of the primary mechanisms – at local level – to bring forward relevant actions arising from national and regional strategies and policies that have a local remit, and support collaboration to increase the quality of life in our communities.
The Donegal Integrated Framework LECP is a key document for County Donegal, providing a framework for advancing economic, community, social and cultural development in the county. It sets out a Shared Vision, informed by extensive consultations with community, statutory, and sectoral stakeholders, with Goals, Objectives and Actions to sustainably develop the county's natural, human, and capital resources, recognising the challenges facing the county in a volatile, uncertain and everchanging global environment, and seeking to address these challenges.
Even more importantly, the LECP recognises the advantages and the potential for sustainable development that County Donegal has to offer, and it seeks to capitalise on this potential for the benefit of the community. This Plan seeks to make the county an innovative, creative, accessible, and inclusive county, with opportunity and a good quality of life for all sections of the community.
Aims and Objectives
The Vision of the Plan is stated as follows:
“County Donegal is climate resilient, healthy, socially inclusive, culturally diverse, innovative and economically vibrant – offering an excellent way of life for all it’s people”
The vision underpins and connects the goals, objectives and actions of the Plan. There are 7 priority Goals of the Plan:
1. Donegal is a climate resilient society, valuing our rich natural capital, with environmental sustainability central to all our decisions and actions.
2. Donegal values, protects and sustains our rich culture, heritage, languages and landscape.
3. Our Communities are drivers for sustainable development and placemaking – and are strong, resilient, active, healthy, safe, connected, serviced, proud and empowered.
4. Donegal is an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming
5. Donegal is a SMART connected county, internally and externally, supported by the necessary enabling infrastructure –human, capital and governance.
6. Donegal is a competitive, innovative, attractive, supportive location for investment and enterprise, offering and maintaining quality employment.
7. Donegal is a place of opportunity for lifelong learning and skills development, nurturing and driving creativity and innovation.
Each Goal has a number of linked high level objectives designed to deliver and achieve each Goal and to respond to the particular areas of priority need that have been identified. The high level objectives will be implemented through a series of actions which are the primary mechanism to deliver the Goals and Objectives of the Plan by bringing forward specific measures for economic and community development at a local level.
Information will be published when available.
