Rural Communities Development Fund

Tyne Esk Local Action Group (LAG) was initially formed to deliver the EU LEADER funding across rural communities in East Lothian and Midlothian.   Following the UK exit from Europe, the Scottish Government wanted to continue the locally led development and created a new funding stream for Community Led Local Development (CLLD).

The current Tyne & Esk LAG has 12 Members, with a Chair and Vice Chair who are elected by the Members. Members have mostly been recruited through an open and transparent recruitment process and are selected through an application form on the basis of fit with a skills matrix based on the funding programme objectives.   Some of our members were previous applicants who benefited from LEADER/CLLD funding and also met the skills criteria for membership.

LAG Members are drawn from the Community, Business and Third Sector together with appointees from the Public Sector including Scottish Enterprise, Edinburgh College and the Economic Development Portfolio Holder Elected Members from both Midlothian and East Lothian Councils.

The LAG is strengthened with the addition of Observers who provide support and advice to the LAG including the Economic Development leads for East Lothian and Midlothian Councils, East Lothian Corporate Policy Manager, Midlothian Community Planning Partnership (CPP) Third Sector partnership lead and East Lothian Third Sector Interface (Volunteer East Lothian).

The LAG have teamed up with East Lothian Council who have taken on the accountability for and administration of the CLLD programmme as Accountable Body, on their behalf. The programme is based within the Economic Development Department and this is where the CLLD Project Officer, who has responsibility for programme delivery in partnership with the LAG, operates from.