Guidance for Development of Community Led Local Development
Strategies
1. EU Guidance1 to Managing Authorities identifies that Local Development Strategies
are considered to be the place where partnerships can demonstrate that they can
achieve results that other, more mainstream approaches, cannot or do not reach.
2. It describes Community Led Local Development Strategies as ‘a coherent set of
operations the purpose of which is to meet local objectives and needs, and which
contributes to achieving the EU Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth,
and which is designed and implemented by a Local Action Group’. The Local Action
Group therefore is considered critical to a truly bottom-up approach and should be the
driving force behind both the design and the implementation of the strategy.
3. In line with Article 33 of EU Regulation 1303/2013 the Managing Authorities require
that Community Led Local Development strategies as a minimum should contain the
following:
 The definition of the area to be targeted and population covered by the strategy.
 An analysis of the development needs and potential of the area concerned,
including an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
 A description of the strategy and its objectives, a description of the integrated
and innovative features of the strategy and a hierarchy of objectives, including
measurable targets for outputs or results in line with deliverables identified in
the relevant European Structural and Investment Funds Operational
Programme(s).
 The strategy as a whole must meet local needs but be consistent with and
contribute to the aims and objectives of the relevant European Structural and
Investment Fund Operational Programmes and local European Structural and
Investment Funds strategies from which resources are drawn.
 A description of community engagement and involvement in the process of
developing the Community Led Local Development strategy. The partnership
must be inclusive i.e. composed of partners from different sections of the local
community (public, private, voluntary and community sectors) and reflect the
nature and focus of the strategy.
1
Guidance on Community Led Local Development in European Structural and Investment Funds, EU
Commission, June 2014.
Version 1
1|P a g e
 The presentation of an Action Plan demonstrating how objectives are to be
translated into actions.
 A description of the management and monitoring arrangements of the strategy,
demonstrating the capacity of the Local Action Group to implement the strategy.
This should include the identification of the project selection criteria to be used
and the specific arrangements for evaluation.
 The financial plan of the strategy, including planned allocation from each
European Structural and Investment Fund(s) concerned.
4. In developing Community Led Local Development Strategies the Managing
Authorities require that partners take account the following factors:
 The need to identify a clear added value, rationale and need justifying the
adoption of the Community Led Local Development methodology.
 For planning purposes the Community Led Local Development Strategy should
have a minimum of €3,000,000 total public sector contribution (c. £2,130,000 at
current exchange rates) to ensure critical mass.
 The population covered should involve a minimum of 10,000 and a maximum of
150,000.
 The need to demonstrate compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty.
 That the territory targeted should form a coherent unit in geographical,
economic and social terms, taking into account the nature of the strategy.
 The targeting of Community Led Local Development resource in deprived areas
in the Operational Programmes. In particular, with reference to the 2010 Index
of Multiple Deprivation:
o
o
prioritising the 20% most deprived areas in More Developed and
Transition Regions; and
the targeting of 70% of Community Led Local Development resource at
areas within the 30% most deprived areas in the Less Developed area of
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.
 That any case for flexibility with respect to the areas to be incorporated must
demonstrate that non 20% Index of Multiple Deprivation areas or non 30%
Index of Multiple Deprivation areas are adjacent to the targeted areas, provide a
link between need and opportunity and /or present a more coherent functional
economic geography.
 That a value for money justification resulting from the use of Community Led
Local Development is provided.
 That clear evidence of baselines, demand, engagement and capacity at local
community level is demonstrated.
Version 1
2|P a g e
 The need to align with the European Regional Development Fund Operational
Programme and the European Social Fund Operational Programme, with a
particular focus on European Regional Development Fund Priority Axis 8,
Investment Priority 9d and European Social Fund Priority Axis 1, Investment
Priority 1.5, and demonstrate fit with local European Structural and Investment
Funds strategies. It should be noted that European Structural and Investment
Funds requirements extend to all activities supported through Community Led
Local Development strategies such as publicity requirements and horizontal
principles (cross cutting themes) including capital build environmental
standards.
 That the wider thematic objectives and investment priorities to be targeted by
resources programmed under Priority Axis 8 for European Regional
Development Fund and Priority Axis 1, Investment Priority 1.5 for European
Social Fund are described.
 That Community Led Local Development contributes directly to Operational
Programme outputs and results and the corresponding outputs and results
agreed as part of the local European Structural and Investment Funds strategy
concerned. The methodology and assumptions behind the outputs/ results to be
achieved by the Local Action Group should be clearly described in Community
Led Local Development Strategy.
 That the decision-making process in the board of the Local Action Group
partnership should not be dominated by the public authorities or any specific
interest group. To ensure this the following rules must be respected:
o Firstly, neither the public authorities nor any single interest group can
have more than 49% of the voting rights at the decision-making level of
the Local Action Group;
o Secondly, at least 50% of the votes in project selection decisions have to
come from the non-public sector partners. This is to secure an inclusive
and transparent process, diversity in the strategy and a reasonable
spread of projects across a range of different sectors.
 The decision-making body should aim at being gender balanced and have a fair
representation of specific target groups addressed by the local development
strategy.
Version 1
3|P a g e