South Tipperary County Development Board

 

South Tipperary County Strategy for Economic, social and Cultural Development

Fourteenth Meering Report November 4, 2002

Twelfth Meeting Report June 17, 2002

Eleventh Meeting Report April 8, 2002

South Tipperary County Strategy for Economic, Social and Cultural Development (Consultative (zip file)

Draft) Stakeholder's Review (November 14 2001-January 17 2002) (zip file)

Ninth Meeting Report

Eighth Meeting Report

Seventh Meeting Report

Summary of Progress To Date Re The Emerging County Strategy in South Tipperary May 2001 (Progress Reports from the Economic, Social Inclusion and Cultural Working Groups

Sixth Meeting Report

Fifth Meeting Report

Rural Development Meeting

Community Development Meeting

Health Segment Meeting

Traveller Focus Group Meeting

Cultural Working Group Meeting

Report of the Economic Working Group Meeting

 

Eighth Meeting Report

Meeting held: September 5, 2001
Members present: 20 (69% attendance)
Chair: Cllr. Denis Bourke

 

SUMMARY

The new chair of the County Development Board (CDB), Cllr Denis Bourke, chaired the September 2001 CDB meeting. Three other new members were also welcomed to the Board; Padraig Culbert (Tipperary Institute); Cllr Pat Norris (Economic Planning and Development SPC) replacing Cllr Niall Dennehy; and Cllr Barry O'Brien (Cultural/Corporate Affairs SPC) replacing Cllr Susan Meagher. Leonard Bell (Enterprise Ireland), who was attending his last CDB meeting, was thanked for his excellent contribution to the work of the CDB and to indigenous enterprise development in South Tipperary. Tributes were also paid to guest speaker Luke Murtagh for his vision and foresight in initiating both the Tipperary Institute proposal and the Moll an Oige project.

Decision: Tipperary (South Riding) County Development Board agreed a revised timetable in relation to completing the County Strategy for Economic, Social and Cultural Development at its September 2001 Board meeting. The Board anticipates:

• finalising the County Strategy at its February 2002 meeting
• seeking the adoption of the County Strategy by Tipperary (South Riding) Co Council) in March 2002
• formally launching the County Strategy in April 2002.

The Board reviewed a submission paper 'Health and Well Being in the South East' which identified two main strands where there is an acknowledged benefit to intersectoral working: the Promotion of Health and Well Being; and Social Inclusion/Health Inequalities. Arising from the review, CDB members agreed to reflect on the nine strategic themes emerging in the County Strategy to see what is deliverable and doable next year (2002) and ideally up to the year 2006.

The County Development Board also discussed monitoring, feedback and evaluation of the County Strategy once it is being implemented. Decisions: That annual (and if necessary twice-annually) theme review and forward-planning meetings are held. The Board also agreed that an external evaluator should be appointed to report to the Board on the overall achievement of the County Strategy (integration of the thematic reviews).

The County Development Board also adopted the Tipperary Business Advisers Network Information Communications Technology Strategy for County Tipperary.

1. Progress report in relation to completing the County Strategy

It is anticipated that a draft County Strategy for the Economic, Social and Cultural Development of South Tipperary will be circulated to Board members early in October 2001. The Board agreed the following revised timetable to complete the County Strategy:

• October 2001 - A working draft of the County Strategy (Proposed Chapters 1-5) is finalized and circulated to members of the County Development Board.
• November 2001 - Members of the CDB consider responses to the Working draft at the November Board meeting (November 5). Following the Board meeting, a Consultative draft of the County Strategy is finalised and circulated to relevant stakeholders. CEO's of CDB member organisations are informed of the specific implications for their organisations in the consultative draft of South Tipperary's County Strategy.
• November -December 2001 - Consultative meetings on the draft plan are carried out with the assistance of the Social Partners and theme leaders. Chapter 6 - proofing and policy implications chapter drafted.
• January 2002 - Recommendations in relation to responses from stakeholders and consultative meetings are integrated into a revised draft of the County Strategy and circulated to CDB members.
• February 2002 - Revised draft of County Strategy discussed by members and amendments agreed at the February Board meeting (February 4, 2002). Draft strategy amended (as agreed) becomes the final County Strategy.
• March 2002 - County Strategy submitted to Tipperary (South Riding) County Council for adoption. County Strategy prepared for publication.
• April 2002 - County Strategy launched at the April Board meeting (April 1)

The County Strategy is likely to be laid out in six Chapters.

• Chapter 1. What? Where? Who? When? How? Why? (Introductory chapter which gives the background to the County Strategy, its purpose and the process/actors involved in its preparation).
• Chapter 2. What is the current economic, social and cultural situation in the County and how satisfactory is that situation?
• Chapter 3.What is the CDB's broad ambition for the area and how should the economic, social and cultural situation have changed?
• Chapter 4. What programme of action is required to be co-ordinated by the CDB to add value to the economic, social and cultural situation of South Tipperary in order to assist its members achieve the shared vision for the county? (nine strategic themes)
• Chapter 5. How does the CDB oversee the implementation of the County Strategy to ensure that the Strategy achieves the desired outcomes?
• Chapter 6. Proofing and policy implications of the County Strategy (The County Strategy has to be to proofed - poverty proofed, equality proofed, rural proofed and environmentally (sustainable development) proofed in line with Government Strategy. Policy implications, especially desired changes at national level, are specified).

The following Board members have agreed to be 'theme leaders' and to take responsibility for overseeing the implementation of programmes of work:

Programme 1 (John Devane) - Optimising the cultural and economic potential of the 'Tipperary' name

Programme 2 (Ned Gleeson) Striving to achieve balanced development in the County

Programme 3 (Pat Moroney) Resourcing professional services to co-ordinate cultural development in South Tipperary

Programme 4 (Oliver Clancy) Resourcing a 'matchmaker' approach to economic development services in South Tipperary

(Sub-Programme 4.1 - (Toss Hayes) Matching the skills base/qualifications of Jobs -
(Sub-Programme 4.2 - (Donal Mullane) Matching entrepreneurs with new opportunity areas
(Other sub-programmes parked at present).

Programme 5 (Seamus Moore) Resourcing a 'holistic approach' to social inclusion services in South Tipperary

Programme 6 (Cllr Brendan Griffin) Planning a strategy that links facility development, infrastructure and provision of the requisite level of services at community, sub-county, county (and regional) levels so as to reduce access times.

Programme 7 (Bridget O'Keeffe) Find mechanisms that will trigger new voluntary activity and sustain existing voluntary community endeavor

Programme 8 (Mary Fitzgerald) Targeting the inclusion of children and those families experiencing discrimination and/or poverty in South Tipperary communities

Programme 9 (Michael Hanly) Promoting sustainable development.

 

2. Preparing for the CDB member buy-in and implementation of the County Strategy

Seamus Moore (South Eastern Health Board) presented a submission paper 'Health and Well Being in the South East' which had been endorsed by the South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) as a starting point for its engagement with CDBs.

The submission paper arose from a concern among the four SEHB managers representing the Health Board on the six County/City Development Boards in the South East as to extent of the managers' mandate to commit the SEHB to tangible actions in the County/City Strategies. Arising from this concern, the Health Board allocated resources from its Department of Public Health to enable the Health Board specify its priorities in relation to the emerging County/City Strategies. Since health issues can be all encompassing, the focus of the submission to the CDBs has been on areas where joint working would benefit all the population. Two main strands where there is an acknowledged benefit to intersectoral working were identified: the Promotion of Health and Well Being; and Social Inclusion/Health Inequalities. Priority areas under each strand have been specified in detail incorporating a rationale as to why the County Strategy should include the priority area; vision and objectives; and potential actions.

The submission paper had three main outputs:

• The Health Board had specified where it needed to gain benefits from inter-sectoral working within the CDB process
• The SEHB representative on CDBs had now a clear mandate in which to engage in the finalising of the County Strategy
• The document/process followed offers a template to other members of the Board who have concerns about their mandate to finalise the County Strategy on behalf of the agency/sector they represent.

Following Board member reactions both to the content and the process used by the South Eastern Health Board and also to concerns about mandates, the following clarifications were stated:

• The County Strategy is not about capturing the existing plans of agencies and will not be restating the mandates/plans of its member bodies
• Rather the County Strategy is about identifying areas (strategic themes) which the County Development Board wants it members to buy into (these themes have emerged from consultations, analysis and consensual decisions over the past 18 months)
• The advantage of the Health Board initiative is that it is possible to clearly link identified Health Board priorities with the strategic themes in the County Strategy resulting in deliverable and doable actions. It also makes the process easier for the SEHB representative to sign off the County Strategy on behalf of the South Eastern Health Board. Another benefit of the Health Board approach is that it enables other members on the CDB to understand how their own organisation can add value to what the Health Board is doing.
• It is important that all members reflect on the nine strategic themes to see what is deliverable and doable next year (2002) and ideally up to the year 2006. This task should be easier once the draft County Strategy is circulated to members in early October.
• Additionally, the Director was requested to formally write to the CEO's of organisations represented on the Board and specifying the strategic themes where specific responses are required from that organisation/sector.
• The County Strategy is more likely to be delivered (doable) in the short term (2002-2003) by piggybacking and targeting interagency responses under its strategic themes on sub-sectors of the population in sub-areas of the county where one CDB partner has already planned to commit significant resources.

The County Development Board also discussed monitoring, feedback and evaluation of the County Strategy once it is being implemented. Oliver Clancy (FAS) had been requested to examine this issue and recommended a strategic option which was adopted by the Board. A major challenge for the ongoing monitoring process is to ensure that the future plans of individual sectors/agencies is linked to the identified themes in the County Strategy where the potential for co-operation, complementarity and added-value has already been acknowledged.

Recommendation: That annual (and if necessary twice-annually) theme review and forward-planning meetings are held. All relevant stakeholders will have the opportunity to review progress within the strategic theme and to initiate further deliverable actions arising from the monitoring of the County Strategy, new research and consultations or from new plans of individual stakeholders.

The Board also agreed that an external evaluator should be appointed to report to the Board on the overall achievement of the County Strategy (integration of the thematic reviews).

 

3. ICT Strategy for Co Tipperary

The Information Communications Technology Strategy for County Tipperary which had been prepared by the Tipperary Business Advisers Network (TBAN) was reviewed by the CDB. The Chair of TBAN (Luke Murtagh) and the Consultant (Dr Eileen Reedy, Tipperary Institute) briefed the Board on the key recommendations of the ICT strategy and its linkages to two of the strategic themes in the Board's emerging County Strategy - the idea of inclusiveness and balancing development and a County Tipperary approach to optimising economic potential.

The ICT strategy outlines a vision statement, strategic objectives and actions to attain each of six sections - infrastructure; awareness; training and advice; finance; research and development; environment. TBAN was reporting formally to the Board to seek approval of the ICT Strategy ands its inclusion in the County Strategy.

In the discussion arising from Mr Murtagh's presentation, the following was noted:

• A South East Information Society Strategy (SEISS) has also recently been developed with many TBAN members participating actively so that actions in the strategies from both TBAN and SEISS are complementary.
• A County Tipperary approach is needed if Tipperary is to become an information-age county.
• The baseline ICT infrastructure in the County had been substantially added to in Thurles and Clonmel by Tipperary Institute.
• 90% grant aid is available under the Telecommunications and E Commerce measure of the National Development Plan. The Regional Authority (SERA) is facilitating a joint response from local authorities in the South East that will focus during phase 1 on county towns. There is a need to ensure complementarity with proposals emerging in the Mid West region.
• ICT had much to offer in terms of linking clusters of towns. There is an opportunity to encourage the collaboration of major business/public interests in the main towns in County Tipperary to achieve broadband connectivity. An immediate action is to make business cases in the key towns of Tipperary and Carrick on Suir.
• The focus on increasing awareness and targeting social inclusion in the ICT strategy was welcomed.
• In relation to the matrix of actions, TBAN was requested to give prominence to the specific actions which would County Tipperary a competitive advantage. It was agreed that many of these actions would revolve around Tipperary Institute and ensuring good take-up of the current funding initiatives in the County.

Decision: The Board formally adopted the TBAN report as the Information Communications Technology Strategy for South Tipperary.

4. Review of operations

Cllr Denis Landy circulated the Housing Strategy which had been adopted by the local authorities (including) the urban authorities in South Tipperary.

Decision: The Board agreed that in future Executive Summaries of new strategies received would be circulated to members. If necessary the Director can also include comment in relation to the implications of new strategies.

Decision: The Town Clerks of Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary Town and Cashel are to receive all meeting reports of the County Development Board with a request to circulate the reports to their Councillors.