The Irish Local Development Network’s five-year strategic plan aims to enable the local development sector to build and deliver for rural and urban communities, and also takes account of the Covid-19 challenge, which has seen over 2,200 individuals daily seeking the assistance of local development companies nationwide.

Joe O’Brien TD, Minister of State for Community Development and Charities at the Department of Rural and Community Development, acknowledged the support of the local development sector to rural and urban communities in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, on launching the ILDN’s 2020-2024 strategy in November.

The ‘Supporting Local Development Companies to Build Vibrant, Inclusive Communities’ strategy sets out the role of the ILDN in facilitating Ireland’s local development companies to deliver services such as social inclusion, education and training, employment services, urban and rural development, climate change and just transition.