Sligo County Development Board, Team Sligo, Social Inclusion Measures Group

SLIGO COUNTY DEVELOPMENT BOARD

In 2004 Sligo County Development Board was formally reconconstituted following the local elections. The past Board under the chairmanship of Cllr. Joe Leonard had overseen the preparation, consultation and completion of the 10 year Integrated Strategy for Economic, Social & Cultural Development in April 2002. The old Board had worked tirelessly in putting in place the structures and working groups to oversee the implementation and monitoring of the Strategy.

The restructuring included the introduction of a number of new faces and the appointment of Cllr. Jimmy Mc Garry as overall Chairman of the CDB and welcomed twelve new members on to the Board. The new Board will be in place for the coming five years and is as follows:

The role of the CDB is widely acknowledged as a very useful forum or mechanism for facilitating dialogue and discussion between and among all public sector bodies operating at County Level. In 2004 the CDB worked in partnership with local development agencies on improving and sustaining the quality of services provided in the county. Through the Cohesion Fund administered by the Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs, Sligo CDB in partnership with the local development agencies were successful in submitting a plan for improving the levels of integration and partnership between the agencies. The projects funded under the Cohesion fund were as follows.

• Development of a community development workers network
• Research study on the availability of work space in the county
• Publication and research of a database of community and voluntary groups in the county.
• Development of a Customer service centre in the Development Centre
• Estate management project for the North Ward Sligo town.

The CDB in 2004 went through a transitional stage with the reconstitution of the Board following the local elections in June 2004. In 2005 the new Board will be looking at reviewing the Strategic Integrated Economic, Social and Cultural Strategy that was published in 2002. The review process will focus on the level of implementation achieved in the strategy to date by the member agencies. The review will also concentrate on the CDB’S core co-ordination role and will result in an evaluation of the Integrated strategy.

This will include:

• The selection of a limited number of key priorities and actions on which the CDB will concentrate over the following three years;
• A focus on integrative actions aimed at a more joined–up approach to local services delivery involving relevant agencies; and
• A clearly defined implementation work programme for 2006-2008

TEAM SLIGO

Sligo County Development Board established TEAM Sligo in October 2002 to examine how agencies can work in partnership towards improving the “face of Sligo Town” for potential investors and tourists and enhancing civic pride in the area. TEAM Sligo in 2004 continued to build on the work carried out in 2003. It’s main priorities of work in 2004 were:

• The improvement of the approach roads into Sligo. This project was supported by the Sligo Peace II Task Force who provided funding towards the enhancement works.
• Erection of Sligo Gateway signs on all approach roads into the town.
• Secondary schools anti litter drive campaign in the town.
• Regular meetings with the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses on initiatives to improve the litter situation in Sligo Town.

 
SOCIAL INCLUSION MEASURES GROUP 

Over 2004 the Sligo Social Inclusion Measures Group met on six occasions to oversee the implementation of the CDB Strategy and to improve co-ordination amongst statutory and local development agencies which provide services and support that impact on social exclusion and poverty. SIM’s main aim is to identify gaps in service provision and eliminate duplications. The group have been proactive in identifying groups who are particularly at risk of social exclusion and improving the co-ordination of services to ensure a better end result for those groups most impacted by poverty and exclusion. The SIM group has also provided support to the RAPID Area Implementation Team, established to address disadvantage in five areas of Sligo Town.

In response to the Department’s directives LG07/04 and LG15/04 regarding the ‘Improving Local and Community Development Structures and Programmes’, the SIM group has developed an Integrated Plan targeting marginalised single men in rural Sligo. This plan comprised a number of interagency objectives and involved consultation with social workers, public health nurses, community workers and local people. It was based on a series of interviews conducted with men in the area aged between 35-64. The research demonstrated high levels of isolation, low income, poor health, limited transport, sub standard accommodation and lack of social networks. Agencies agreed to work with local people to address quality of life issues for this group.  Community development principles have been employed in order to build the capacity of this group and to address poor health, literacy difficulties, lack of self esteem and poor employment prospects. The project is being piloted in West Sligo and involves all of the key statutory service providers and local development agencies. Since initiating the project the SIM group has a monitoring and advisory role, whilst the management of the project is being overseen by Sligo Leader Partnership.

In 2005 the SIM group will continue develop recommendations for the improved co-ordination and development of services for other marginalised groups in the community.