Local Economic Development Programmes
A total of 1,315 million euro (£849m) has been allocated to the Northern Ireland Community Support Framework for the period 2000-2006. This Framework aims to achieve a transition to a more peaceful, stable, prosperous, fair and outward-looking society, sustained by a better physical environment. One element within this overarching Framework is the Northern Ireland Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity 2000-2006. A total of £575 million euro is available under this programme in N. Ireland. A guide to the structural funds in Northern Ireland is available at www.europe-dfpni.gov.uk
Within this programme, Ballymoney Borough Council benefits directly from the Local Economic Development measure. In 1999 Council submitted an action plan to the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment (DETI) outlining the areas and issues it wished to address under this measure. Below is a summary of the projects which will be joint funded by the EU’s European Regional Development Fund, national government and Ballymoney Borough Council.
For more information on the Building Sustainable Prosperity programme visit www.eugrants.org
| Programme Title | Focus |
| Increasing Employability | A programme aimed at increasing the employability of both the employed and the unemployed. The aime was to create a much-improved fit between the skills required and those available in the labour market and thereby to increase the total growth capacity of the employment base. |
| Strengthening the enterprise base | A programme with a suite of projects to improve the competitiveness of existing eneterprises and accelerate the formation of sustainable new businesses and consequently jobs. |
| Creating the supporting infrastructure | A strategic programme of important capital projects designed to facilitate the creation of entirely new tourist products and attractions to strengthen the town. |
| Developing the borough communities | A programme to deliver the community strategies for consideration by the Local Strategy Partnership under the Peace Programme. Leader+ and Interreg subsequently dealt with the outputs of parts of this programme. |
| Strengthening town competitiveness | A programme to develop the competitiveness of Ballymoney as the vital core of economic and social activity in the borough. |
| Business Start Programme | The Northern Ireland wide programme for creating and supporting new businesses. |
Consultation is currently ongoing in relation to the next tranche of ERDF funding, which is due to come on line sometime in 2008.