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KERRY COUNTY
DEVELOPMENT BOARD
The Kerry County Development Board was
established in February 2000, as an initiative of
Government, with the objective of developing a County
Strategy for the economic, social and cultural development
of Kerry over the next ten years.
The Board is one of 34 Boards established
throughout the country following a recommendation from the
Interdepartmental Task Force on the need to co-ordinate
local level service delivery within a policy framework at
local level.
The Board brought together for the first
time all the key players at local level to engage in a
process of long-term planning for the County over the next
ten years. The development of the County Strategy was highly
consultative in nature and this has ensured a broad
consensus on the key strategic objectives contained within
the Strategy.
The legal framework for the Board is
provided for by Section 129 of the Local Government Act,
2001. The Board is a statutory body which operates under
the aegis of the County Council, but is otherwise
independent in the operation of its functions. The
membership of the Board is prescribed and is drawn from four
sectors, Local Government, Local Development, State Agencies
and Social Partners. The Chairperson is appointed by the
Board on nomination by the Corporate Policy Group of the
County Council. The functions of the Board include:-
·
Taking steps to maximise the benefit by the
various agencies in the County, which have functions
relating to the economic, social and cultural development of
the County.
·
Promotion of co-operation and co-ordination
of the activities of the bodies and interests represented on
the Board so as to optimise resources for the common good of
the community.
The County Strategy: ‘Meitheal Chiarraí –
Working Together for our Future 2002 – 2011’ was adopted in
April 2002 and represents a set of agreed priorities by all
public and local agencies in Kerry on the future development
of the County over the next ten years. The Strategy is a
statutory document; this means that all public agencies must
have regard to the Strategy in developing and implementing
their own plans and programmes.
The Kerry County Development Board does
not, itself, directly implement the County Strategy but
relies on the agencies and organisations operating within
the County to deliver and take responsibility for specific
elements of implementation.
