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AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

East Durham LEADER's two guiding documents are the Local Development Strategy, and the Delivery Plan Both documents were prepared following extensive local consultation across east Durham, including a full day workshop at Wheatley Hill in April 2008.

The Delivery Plan has five high level objectives which aim to:

1. Raise economic participation and entrepreneurial activity – creating opportunity for private and social enterprise (any new private business would be expected to seek guidance from Business Link before approaching LEADER for funding), business collaboration and networking, tackling worklessness, demand led training, creating opportunities and support for volunteering.

2. Realise the economic potential of the wealth & assets of the area – building project ideas around local assets, supporting young people to develop enterprise and projects, using agricultural and industrial heritage to generate income through tourism and leisure, promoting coastal and magnesium limestone landscape to attract visitors, and building on the tradition of allotment gardens (further guidance must be sought as primary production is not an eligible activity).

3. Support projects and ways of working that help to combat and mitigate climate change – encouraging and supporting schemes that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable energy. Encouraging green tourism and leisure. This is a cross cutting objective which means that any project coming forward would be encouraged to look at environmental sustainability and have policies in place to support consideration of the environment.

4. Improve health and opportunities for more healthy lifestyles – supporting investment around healthy diet and exercise, improving access to fresh, locally produced food, and broadening opportunities for healthy lifestyles through new tourism and leisure developments. However as East Durham ranks amongst the poorest health statistics nationally, the PCT and other funding bodies already feature health and wellbeing as a priority. LEADER will therefore only fund projects where added value can be evidenced and will not fund projects that duplicate existing provision.

5. Provide appropriate training and support to underpin these objectives – this includes the training needs of the Local Action Group (LAG), supporting new entrepreneurs with training opportunities, and creating networks to assist the sharing of knowledge, skills etc.

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East Durham LEADER is funded by Defra & The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas (EAFRD), and supported by the County Durham Partnership.