Hogan promises democratic local development

A democratic input for the first time to how money is expended at community level has been promised by Environment Minister Phil Hogan, in his handing of a central role in local and community development to local authorities.

But existing local development companies (LDCs) warn that he will annihilate a successful community-led model for investing public funds, one of the best in Europe.

With nearly 2,000 employees in about 50 existing LDCs, which supported more than 1,644 enterprises in the past year, and which work with thousands of people in community schemes, the re-organisation which Mr Hogan has enacted will have far-reaching consequences — especially in rural Ireland.