Minister Coffey Announces €7.5 Million for Waterford in LEADER element of Rural Development Programme 2014-2020

Fine Gael Waterford Minister Paudie Coffey has announced that €7.5 million worth of funding has been allocated by his Department under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 for Waterford. Minister Coffey has said this will be a major boost for the rural recovery that is beginning to take hold around the country.

“LEADER funding will be used to support sustainable economic development projects for rural communities ranging from tourism, agri-food and other business activities. This money will be targeted at tackling social inclusion, rural isolation as well as increasing the capacity of rural communities to participate in economic development. The exact nature of the projects chosen will be based on ideas that emerge from the communities themselves. An expression of interest process will begin shortly.

“LEADER is a vital lifeline for many rural communities. These substantial financial resources allocated for the delivery of LEADER will support the continued sustainable development of rural communities all over Ireland in the coming years.

There is a huge amount of resources and existing infrastructure across rural Ireland that can be utilised to ensure that recovery is felt throughout Waterford. I am confident that these resources will support the sustainable development of rural communities the length and breadth of Waterford and I very much look forward to seeing and hearing about new LEADER projects commencing towards the end of this year.”

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