SOUTH PENNINES LEADER LOCAL
ACTION GROUP
APPLICATION FORM FOR MEMBERSHIP OF
THE LOCAL ACTION GROUP
To find out more about the South Pennines LEADER programme before completing this
application form, please go to http://www.southpenninesleader.co.uk. Please also read the
accompanying notes carefully before completing your application form.
Section 1 : Personal Details
Please provide details about yourself (the applicant) and complete the signed declaration.
Applicants Name
Tel
E-mail
Postal Address Line 1
Postal Address Line 2
Postal Town/City
County
Postcode
Please let us know of any special requirements you may have due to disability.
Do you have any special requirements in order to participate in person?
No.
Yes.
I confirm that to the best of my knowledge the information given in this Application Form is true,
correct and accurate, and no information requested or other material information has been omitted.
Signed
Date
An electronic signature is acceptable for the purposes of the application.
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Section 2 : Statement of Interest and Experience
Which sectors do you represent? (Please indicate one or more boxes).
Private Sector
Community/Voluntary
Public
Sector
sector
Which is the following sectors of interest do you
Tourism
represent (tick all that apply)
Culture & Heritage
Business Development
Agriculture
Forestry
Rural Services
Please describe what your primary areas of active experience or expertise are in terms of the
themes and priorities of the South Pennines LEADER programme, particularly in relation to
the development of the rural economy.
Please indicate your areas of skills:
Area of skills
experience of past programmes similar to LEADER
strategic planning and implementation
leadership and objective setting
understanding business finance
community empowerment and involvement, including networking
managing organisational risk
equality and diversity
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Please tick
Please indicate the geographical area that you represent. Please also give details of the
relevant sector or target group you represent with particular regard to those typically underrepresented in community development
Please give details of your specific interest in the South Pennines, and briefly describe what
you feel are the key challenges facing the sustainable economic development of the area.
Please give details of your experiences in a decision-making role and give an indication of
how you would deal with differences in opinions and priorities between members of a group
Please give details of any previous experience of past programmes similar to LEADER
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LEADER is much more than a funding stream. Please give details of how you could
contribute to the LEADER approach outside of the Local Action Group meetings.
Please return your completed Application Form to Rachael Dilworth:
Address :
Or email :
Tel for further info :
Hebden Bridge Visitor and Canal Centre
Butlers Wharf
New Road
Hebden Bridge HX7 8AF
[email protected]
01422 264685
For further information on the progress being made with the South Pennines LEADER programme
please go to www.southpenninesleader.co.uk
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South Pennines Leader
Local Action Group
NOTES TO ACCOMPANY AN APPLICATION
FOR MEMBERSHIP OF THE LOCAL ACTION
GROUP
Completed application forms must be returned to Rachael Dilworth
The South Pennines LEADER Programme
The acronym ‘LEADER' derives from the French words "Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de
l'Économique Rurale" which means, ‘Links between the rural economy and development actions'.
The LEADER approach is based on empowering local people to develop their own local strategies
and make decisions about how and where funding should be spent. LEADER is a delivery
mechanism for funding from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). It uses local
knowledge to promote integrated “bottom up”, community-led delivery of RDPE funding.
The LEADER programme in the South Pennines is run by a Local Action Group, made up of
individuals from the private, public and voluntary sectors, and funds are targeted on rural areas with
particular needs or priorities. The LEADER vision for the South Pennines is set out in a Local
Development Strategy (LDS). This document is used as a basis for making decisions on LEADER
funding over the life of the programme. The document is produced by the Local Action Group and it
seeks to represent the views of the community as widely as possible.
Whilst LEADER has a “bottom up” ethos, LEADER funding is bound by European rules and
regulations and the Local Development Strategy has to align with the national and regional policy
framework.
In general the South Pennines LEADER programme is looking for projects that are innovative, are
backed by a strong economic strategy, represent good value for public money and those which
leave a lasting legacy for the South Pennines LEADER area.
These notes contain details of the roles and responsibilities of a LAG member and indicates the type
of person sought to assist the Leader process in the South Pennines. New members will receive a
handbook, induction and ongoing training when joining the Local Action Group.
Please read these notes thoroughly before making an application.
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What activities are eligible for LEADER funding?
The South Pennines LEADER programme has three main themes;
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Support sustainable economic growth in sectors that draw on the unique characteristics of the
landscape of the South Pennines.
Develop a strategic approach to the natural environment of the South Pennines and maximising
the economic and social benefits and opportunities provided by the Natural Capital assets of the
area.
Promote social inclusion and maximising the opportunities for communities in and around the
South Pennines to benefit from the area.
The programme of activity developed under these three themes needs to deliver economic growth
by supporting the following sectors:
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Support for rural tourism
Provision of rural services
Support for cultural and heritage activity
Support for micro and small enterprises and farm diversification
Support for increasing farm productivity
Support for increasing forestry productivity
The Roles and Responsibilities of the Local Action Group (LAG)
The LAG is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Local Development Strategy. It
works under the strategic guidance of the Board of Pennine Prospects, a rural regeneration
partnership company.
The proposed partnership structure will take the form of three tiers of involvement:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Tier 1: the Pennine Prospects Board, with its overview of economic, social and
environmental investment opportunities, will provide the strategic economic, social and
environmental framework within which the LEADER programme will fit. The LAG will
be able to make full use of the technical expertise and momentum already available
within the Pennine Prospects structure.
Tier 2: The operational and decision making tier of the partnership structure will be the
South Pennine LEADER local action group who will oversee direct delivery. This will
be a focused group made up of approximately 15 individuals (5 public sector, 5
community/voluntary sector, 5 private sector). This group will make all decisions on
direct delivery and the selection of individual projects.
Tier 3: An annual South Pennines Conference, open to all stakeholders, will inform the
strategic direction of the LEADER programme. This annual forum will provide a
checking mechanism for the programme’s overall strategic direction and will support
the LAG. This will enable the wider community to scrutinise, provide feedback,
comment and advise on the LEADER programme. This forum will also be used to
ensure strategic fit with other initiatives and work of Pennine Prospects.
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The programme is likely to be delivered in the following ways;
1. Direct Grant Support - direct grant support to projects and initiatives developed by existing
groups that will meet the objectives and priorities of the programme;
2. LAG Commissioned Development Work - where there is not an existing group or project with
the capacity to bid for funds or to progress the programme objectives, pro-active development
work and grant aid is provided by the LAG to bring together communities of interest,
undertake research work and develop a project;
3. Small Grant Schemes - targeted small grant schemes with a simple application process,
aiming to stimulate change and innovation among groups to achieve or move towards the
objectives of the programme.
Given the above, the principal functions of the LAG can be listed as follows;
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Act as decision making body for the programme;
Steer all stages of developing the strategy and action plan for the South Pennines LEADER
programme, being responsive to changing circumstances, opportunities and challenges;
Appraise and approve projects;
Commission project development work where required as identified through the production
and revision of the programme;
Make decisions on grant funding where required;
Monitor the overall implementation and delivery of the LEADER programme, whilst ensuring
compliance with financial regulations and requirements;
Support LEADER staff as required;
Develop new, and make use of existing community network links;
Assist in building the capacity of rural communities to enable them to participate inclusively in
the LEADER programme;
Facilitate, promote and support aligned projects seeking non-LEADER RDPE funding and
other sources of funding;
Provide updates and reports to the Pennine Prospects Board and to communicate LEADER
to the general public;
Ultimately to ensure evaluation of the programme is carried out;
Ensure sustainability of the programme.
Additional techniques of governance to be used by the LAG
The following are proposed techniques for ensuring good governance within the LAG;
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The initial appointment period for LAG members is for two years.
Membership is periodically reviewed to ensure the LAG maintains momentum and is fit for
purpose.
The group has clear terms of reference so that there is clarity of understanding about roles
and responsibilities.
The LAG has an induction session for new members, a “welcome pack” and a training
programme will be developed.
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There is clear definition about potential conflicts of interest and members of the LAG are
expected to declare all interests formally at induction.
Reasonable travel expenses are reimbursed to members of the LAG.
Selecting members for the Local Action Group
National guidance states that LAGs must have the right mix of public/private and socio-economic
interests, with no single interest group having more than 49% of voting rights. The LAG, as a
decision making body, should aim at being gender balanced and have a fair representation of the
specific target groups addressed by the LDS, such as young people, ethnic minorities,
disadvantaged people, vulnerable groups. LAG members must also have the appropriate
competencies and skills to generate and support development activity.
For it to be credible, the membership must seek to represent the geographical area covered,
maintain a level of expertise on the chosen themes (including all social, economic and
environmental interests), and also maintain a spread of skills so it can operate as an effective unit.
The membership of the LAG will be created in a number of ways as follows;
 Nominations from the Pennine Prospects Board for a number of the 5 public sector
spaces. Spaces could be filled by either officers or Councillors, or both, but where both
attend only one voting right will be awarded.
 Self nomination from individuals related to the key themes through an open application
process.
 Invitation to experts in particular fields. Partner organisations can be identified who have
the knowledge, expertise and resources available to represent their organisation,
community or sector and help deliver the programme and the themes generally. Ultimately
the LAG might seek to invite suitable individuals where required to be co-opted onto the
LAG for specific purposes and specific timescales. Given the focus for LEADER activity on
jobs and growth and the need to align with other economic activity locally, DEFRA expects
that the relevant Local Enterprise Partnerships will be represented on each LAG in
addition to the farming and forestry sectors.
Person Specification for LAG members
Members will be chosen for possessing one or more of the following attributes;
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Active experience, interests and networks connected to the emerging themes in the South
Pennines area;
Representation if possible of a wide geographical area within the South Pennines;
Representation of a relevant sector or target group with particular regard to those typically
under-represented in community development;
Skills:
 experience of past programmes similar to LEADER
 strategic planning and implementation
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leadership and objective setting
understanding business finance
community empowerment and networking
managing organisational risk
equality and diversity
The initial appointment period for LAG members is two years. Membership will be periodically
reviewed through a governance review to ensure the LAG maintains momentum and is fit for
purpose. The LAG will be a dynamic body with membership changing to reflect the priorities of LDS
delivery.
It is a requirement that the LAG meets Equal Opportunities requirements. It will promote equality
and ensure that any discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability,
age or sexual orientation is prevented during the development of the LAG and at the various stages
of the implementation of the Leader programme.
Decisions on applications for membership of the LAG will be made by the Chair and Operations
Manager of Pennine Prospects with the support of 1 additional Board member.
We look forward to receiving your application.
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