Goal 7: Foster Leadership and Local Capacity

Referencing the enhanced role of Kilkenny County Council in leading economic and community development in the future, this goal responds to Economic Action Area 2: Promoting economic development through general local authority powers and functions, and Economic Action Area 4: Economic components of the community/local development role.

Indicative Actions

• The development of smarter sectoral and local networking forums within the business community will encourage a closer relationship between the agencies that support the county economic environment;
   
• The emergence of the Local Authority as a leader and enabler in both the community and economic development space requires an expanded appreciation of both environments;
   
• Linked to the above, Kilkenny County Council must be enabled to implement coherent LA powers and activities running across many of the existing disciplines within the organisation; and
   
• New models of fostering local leadership will be encouraged, particularly where these link the divide between existing structures such as Chambers of Commerce and the Public Participation Network.

3.8.2  Background Profile

Kilkenny County Council has a significant influence on the local economy as provider, enabler, procurer or regulator in a range of matters such as infrastructure, sustainable development, and local services, as well as directly providing over 500 jobs.  The County Council works to promote local economic development in various ways, including co-ordinating response to possible local economic setbacks.

In addition to this significant impact on economic activity, in the future, economic development will be regarded as a core local authority function alongside these more traditional roles.

The guidelines for the LECP note that ‘while certain local authority functions have a very specific economic character, the economic development role needs to be approached from the perspective that ALL local government activity has the potential to contribute to this overarching goal, and it should be a lens through which all relevant activities of the local authority are viewed.  In addition, the impact of local authority functions on local and regional competitiveness is significant, particularly in relation to local housing markets, and also in terms of investment in and management of key infrastructure including roads, and direct impact on the cost of doing business in an area’.

To achieve this it will be necessary to embed and prioritise the objective of economic development in all relevant County Council functions, including planning, infrastructure, environment, and amenity.  It will be necessary to consider not only publically owned land-banks but also opportunities for private sector development.  The County Council role in housing and related planning and infrastructural functions, are crucially relevant to the overall economy, both in supporting competitiveness and maintaining balance and sustainable development in the housing market to avoid any repeat of cyclical economic instability.