'Local Action' is the community-led element of the RDPE which delivers Axis 4 of the programme in the South West and implements the principles developed under previous EU funded LEADER programmes. Local Action Groups (LAGs), selected through an "open and competitive process", will deliver the activity in their areas. 
 
The aim of Local Action is to enable rural communities to diversify and strengthen their local economy and to improve the quality of life for people living in those communities, in particular building on the activities supported through other parts of the RDPE. 
 
The core objectives of Local Action are:

• Addressing economic under performance.
• Improving provision and access to services as a means of tackling disadvantage.
• Harnessing wider economic value from sustainable environmental quality.
• Developing local governance and delivery capacity in rural areas.

The budget for Local Action in the South West region is £33M over the programme period.

Review of Local Action Bids:

Fifteen rural partnerships across South West England have been awarded funding from the Local Action fund for rural communities. 
 
The groups, which submitted their strategies in May, proposed projects ranging from tackling economic decline in their areas to mitigating the effects of climate change, and from improving links between sparse rural areas and market towns to renewable energy initiatives.  
 
The bids were scrutinised by a panel drawn from RDPE partner organisations, including the Forestry Commission, Natural England and the South West RDA with the Government Office for the South West as observers. 
 
The community partnerships had to show how their objectives and priorities fitted with the objectives of the Rural Development Programme for England and priorities for Local Action by supporting the creation of genuinely sustainable farming, forestry and food sectors, whilst also bringing wider benefits for the economy, the environment and rural communities. 
 
The table below shows the successful Local Action Groups, and their contact details should you be interested in working with them. Maps of the area each group covers are available in the Downloads section below.

Downloads

Local Action: Brochure - Download the Local Action Brochure (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 3003.35kb) 
 
Local Action: Guidance for Applicants - Community based partnership interested in applying to deliver RDPE funding in their areas can download the guidance for prospective Local Action Groups, Expression of Interest Proforma and the Final bid format and assessment criteria. 
 
Local Action - Guide for Applicants (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 1006.95kb)  
 
Appendix 1 - Expression of interest pro forma (Microsoft Word Document - 407.55kb) 
(Please note: the deadline for submitting Expressions of Interest has now passed.) 
 
Updated Appendix 2 - Full bid format and assessment criteria (revised 01 May 08) (Microsoft Word Document - 489.47kb) 
 
Appendix 2 - Editable applicant details form and templates (Microsoft Word Document - 438.78kb) 
 
Appendix 3 - Assessment criteria and scoring (Microsoft Word Document - 390.14kb) 
 
Updated Local Action - Questions and Answers - 30 April 08 (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 128.30kb) 
 
Local Action - Roadshow Presentation (October 2007) (Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation - 402.43kb) 
 
Local Action - Workshop Presentation (February 2008) (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 4831.92kb)

Local Action Group area maps

The Ordnance Survey mapping included within this web site is provided by The South West of England Development Agency under licence from the Ordnance Survey in order to fulfil its public function. Persons viewing this mapping should contact Ordnance Survey copyright for advice where they wish to licence Ordnance Survey mapping for their own use. 
 
Based upon the Ordnance Survey mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office © Crown copyright. 
 
Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. 
 
The South West of England Development Agency, Licence No. 100040743, 2009. 
 
Blackdown Hills and East Devon map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 2319.45kb) 
 
Chalk and Cheese map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 936.32kb) 
 
Clay Country map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 853.49kb) 
 
East Cornwall Local Action Group map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 736.69kb) 
 
Forest of Dean Local Strategic Partnership map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 1654.67kb) 
 
Greater Dartmoor Local Action Group map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 1568.88kb) 
 
Isles of Scilly Local Action Group map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 313.10kb) 
 
Leader 4 Torridge and North Devon map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 906.17kb) 
 
Salisbury Plain Local Action Group map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 988.13kb) 
 
Somerset Levels and Moors Local Action Group map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 1811.38kb) 
 
South Devon Coastal Local Action Group map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 1111.69kb) 
 
Sowing SEEDS map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 1162.98kb) 
 
West Cornwall Together map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 603.91kb) 
 
Western Somerset Local Action Group map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 820.14kb) 
 
Regional Overview Local Action Group map (Adobe Acrobat Reader Document - 90.25kb)

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