Community Agents emerging in the EU
This page outlines the self-defined role of the voluntary,
community agents who help to implement a European Union rural development initiative in
Scotland.
The EU’s programme for community-led rural economic
diversification
The European Union’s (EU) Directorate of Regional Development funds a variety of
programmes to help regions which are lagging behind others to catch up.
One of these programmes is LEADER II (a French acronym for ‘Links between
Actions for the Development of the Rural Economy’). This programme is designed to
promote innovations for diversification of mainly agricultural communities. The programme
supports over 800 Local Action Groups (LAG) in those parts of Europe which have
been granted Objective 1 and 5b development status.
LAGs contain representatives of the private, public and voluntary sectors in a given
geographical area and are responsible for formulating intersectoral strategies for, and
mobilising local communities towards the planning and implementation of, innovative
programmes and projects aimed at economic diversification. Most LAGs employ LEADER II Project
Officers on a full time or part time basis to facilitate the
‘animation’ of communities and to oversee the management of local level
projects.
In Scotland the LAGs fall under the umbrella of Local Enterprise Companies (LEC)
which are fully owned subsidiaries of either Scottish Enterprise or Highlands and Islands
Enterprise (HIE) both of which have a remit from the Scottish Office to promote social and
economic development in their respective areas. The LAGs are funded by public and private
sources and this is match funded on a 50:50 basis by LEADER II.
There are ten LECs in the HIE area which, amongst many other duties, oversee the work
of nine LAGs. The budget for these ten LECS has amounted to £19.2 million over the last 5
years with 50% coming from the EU.
Three of the nine LAGs in the HIE area make use of largely voluntary Community
Agents to fill the gap between Leader Project Officers and communities. Two of
these three LAGs have sub-contracted independent support-teams to help build the capacity
of their Community Agents.
The dual management/funding structure is briefly outlined in the following table:
Scottish Office |
European Union |
Highlands and
Islands Enterprise |
LEADER II Programme |
Local Enterprise
Company |
Local Action Group |
Project Officer |
LEADER
Community Agent |
Local Community
Groups |
The papers which follow were prepared by a group of LEADER agents with the assistance
of their Support Team. They demonstrate how the self image of these supported Community
Agents has been evolving.
Prepared jointly by the LEADER Agents and the LEADER Support Team,
26 May 1998
This note provides guidance on the role of the LEADER Agents in rural Inverness and
Nairn. Agents are geographically based which enables each of 19 Community Council
areas the opportunity to appoint an Agent. All Agents work on an unpaid voluntary
basis. The LEADER programme however reimburses their small sundry expenses (telephone,
postage and travel). In addition a small honorarium is paid for attendance at LEADER
training days and for the completion of an Annual diary.
Characteristics of Agents
LEADER Agents are selected firstly because they are active and motivated individuals
who have a strong commitment to and interest in their local area’s well-being and
vitality. This positive outlook enables these individuals to engage in a locally led
process, which can be broadly defined, as community work. Agents need to devote
time to this work and to the specific tasks that LEADER requires to be undertaken. The
amount of time and effort that individual Agents devote is open to negotiation.
Agents are busy individuals who have many dimensions to their lives. Therefore each
Agent brings a variety of personnel skills, knowledge and individual traits to the
LEADER programme. These personal attributes contribute to the diversity of ways in
which each Agent functions in their particular local area:
- the role they play,
- the activities they pursue and
- the individual contributions that they make to their community, the LEADER Programme and
to the Agent Network.
The work of a LEADER Agent necessitates both a high degree of flexibility and a
strong personal commitment. In addition Agents must demonstrate a willingness to share
information and be prepared to work with other Agents and members of the LEADER programme
in a friendly and collaborative way.
The Need for Agent Guidelines
The diversity of individuals who perform the function of a local LEADER Agent has led
to the need for a clearly defined role and set of guidelines. These are outlined in
the sections that follow.
Role of the local LEADER Agent
LEADER Agents have two key roles:
- To act as a point of contact about the LEADER programme for their local area
- To liase with community organisations, the Agent Network, the LEADER support team and
the Local Action Group
And where circumstances permit LEADER Agents often undertake the following roles:
- To promote rural development and encourage community activity in their local area
- To increase their knowledge of the local area and its various communities
Guidelines for LEADER Agents
There are three important guidelines that assist LEADER Agents to perform their role in
an effective way. These are:
- Knowing how the LEADER programme works
- Being an active and effective LEADER Agent
- Knowing the limits of an Agent’s responsibilities and when to seek assistance
Details on the Role of the LEADER Agent
To act as a point of contact about the LEADER programme for their local area by:
- Promoting and raising awareness of the programme
- Providing information and advice on the programme
- Publicising and distributing information on the programme
- Explaining the basics of LEADER and what funding schemes the programme operates
- Referring inquiries to the LEADER Project officer
To liase with community organisations, the Agent Network, the LEADER support team and
the Local Action Group by:
- Playing an active part in the LEADER Agent Network through regularly liasing with other
local Agents particularly in areas where community boundaries and interests overlap
- Communicating the views of their local areas to the LEADER Agent Network and vice versa
- Developing the capacity of the Agent Network’s consultative role in preparing and
presenting ideas to the LEADER Support team and the Local Action Group
To promote rural development and encourage community activity in their local area by:
- Undertaking an information and advice role
- Acting as a conduit for local aspirations with regard to the LEADER programme
- Acting as a catalyst for local development
- Maintaining the confidence and trust of local people
To increase their knowledge of the local area and its various communities:
- Its culture, natural heritage, local associations and clubs
- The interests of different age groups
- Employment and unemployment issues
- Traditional industries (farming, crofting, forestry and fishing)
- Landscape, geography and tourism
- Housing and transport issues
- Local services (post office, shops, sports facilities, health and social services, etc.)
- Education, social life, recreation and history
Details on the Guidelines for LEADER Agents
Knowing how the LEADER programme works by:
- Being knowledgeable and keeping up to-date about LEADER activities and schemes
- Understanding the LEADER grant assistance criteria and conditions
- Knowing where to access information about other sources of funding
Being an active and effective LEADER Agent by:
- Maintaining regular contact with the LEADER staff
- Regularly attending the Agent Information days and contributing to the Agent Network
- Being accountable to the Community Council where appropriate
- Reporting LEADER matters regularly to the Community Council
- Participating in relevant community seminars and local training events
- Undertaking regular self-monitoring using the six LEADER performance indicators
Knowing the limits of an Agent’s responsibilities and when to seek assistance by:
- Making use of the technical know-how of the LEADER support team, the staff of Public
Agencies, knowledgeable local people and voluntary sector workers
- Getting to know what other Agents are doing and drawing inspiration from them through
networking and sharing good practice
More
about the EU's LEADER II Programme
email for more about the
Inverness and Nairn LEADER Agents
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