What Are County Development Boards?

The County Development Board in Fingal is a collection 35 people who represent local authority (8 seats), local development agencies (5 seats), state agencies (14 seats) and the social partners’ (8 seats).

The Board’s mission is to provide greater coherence across all the various state and state funded public services and infrastructure. There are a number of more concrete objectives within this:

• Constantly examine current public service provision for duplication and eliminate overlaps (i.e. make the greatest effect with exchequer money);

• Identify gaps in key service areas (where services do not exist) or infrastructure and fill these gaps;

• Closer partnership between local authorities and local development bodies operating within county boundary;

• Co-ordinate the long-term plans of all the Board member agencies and act in the interests of the public and likely service users;

• Involve the Social Partners (Community, Businesses and Trade Unions) as much as possible in decisions.

The Government established an Interdepartmental Task Foruce on the Integration of Local Government and Local Developmetn Systems. The Task force chaired by the Minister for Environment & Local Governmetn prepared a report. The Report of the Task Force on the Integration of Local Government and Local Development Systems (August 1998) was approved by Government and the Task Force was mandated to continue to oversee implementation of the Report's recommendations.

A principal recommendation of the Task Force Report was the establishment of County Development Boards (CDBs) in each of the 34 local Authorities.

Each CDB was required to prepare and oversee the implementation of a ten year county/city Strategy for Economic, Social and Cultural Development, which would provide the template guiding all public services and local development activities locally; in effect bringing a more coherent approach to the planning and delivery of services at local level.