Sutherland community groups will benefit from an important new funding stream due to come on line over the five-year period to 2013.  Several hundred thousand pounds will be made available to help a wide range of community projects across the county.

Sutherland Partnership is in line to become the "Local Area Partnership" which will decide on which funding bids will be successful.  In cases where Sutherland Partnership itself has an interest in the bid, the decision will be referred to the new LEADER "Local Action Group", which will be based in Inverness.  In order to validate Sutherland Partnership's bid to be Sutherland's Local Area Partnership, we have drafted a LEADER Development Plan document for Sutherland, describing our county, setting out why our area is a suitable location for LEADER funding, and suggesting some ways in which Sutherland could help promote LEADER's priority themes. 

It is important that the people of Sutherland have the opportunity to comment on, and help frame, our LEADER Development Plan.  This is why the draft Plan has been released for public consultation.  One element of the consultation was the August round of Sutherland Ward Forum meetings, in Lochinver and Helmsdale.  The draft plan has now been amended in the light of the public's comments, and will be considered by Sutherland Partnership Board on 3 November, before being submitted to the Highland LEADER organisation.  If you want to read the draft Development Plan click here, and please note that we are still looking for community representatives to sit on our Local Area Partnership (LAP), which will make decisions on funding awards - if you are a member of a community group and you want to bid to be on the LAP, please let us know.