Local Government Act, 2001

County or City Development Boards.

129.—(1) There shall be established, by order of the Minister under this subsection, in each county and city a body to be known as the “.......County Development Board” or “.......City Development Board” as the case may be (in this section referred to as the “Board”) with the name of the appropriate county or city prefixed.

(2) A Board shall, in so far as is provided by this section, operate under the aegis of the relevant county council or city council but is otherwise independent in the performance of its functions.

(3) Subject to and in accordance with guidelines issued under subsection (9), the membership of a Board comprises—

(a) the members of the county council's corporate policy group or city council's corporate policy group (as the case may be) and the relevant county manager or city manager;

(b) representatives of public authorities operating in the county or city concerned;

(c) such representatives of social interests, to be known collectively in the context of a Board as the social partners, as may be provided for in such guidelines;

(d) such representatives of publicly funded or supported local development bodies concerned with local enterprise, rural development or community development as may be provided for in such guidelines;

(e) such other persons (if any) as may be provided for by such guidelines.

(4) (a) Subject to paragraph (b), the chairperson of a Board shall be appointed by the Board on nomination by the corporate policy group of the county council or city council concerned from among members of the group.

(b) After the commencement of Chapter 3 of Part 5 the chairperson of the Board shall be the Cathaoirleach of the county council or city council concerned.

(5) The functions of a Board are—

(a) to take such steps, as the Board may consider appropriate, to enable each of the bodies and interests, whose functions affect the economic, social or cultural development of the county or city or any part of the county or city and its people (in this section referred to as the “community”) to provide the maximum benefit each of them can to such development, both individually and collectively;

(b) to draw up a strategy (in this section referred to as the “strategy”) for the economic, social and cultural development of the county or city and the community;

(c) to seek to secure that the policies and operations of the bodies and interests represented on the Board and of others accord generally with the strategy;

(d) to encourage and promote on an ongoing basis the co-ordination of the activities of the bodies and interests represented on the Board and co-operation generally between such bodies and interests so as to optimise resources and combined effort for the common good of the community.

(6) (a) A public authority, local authority, or other body which is represented on a Board, shall in so far as is not inconsistent with the performance of its functions—

(i) co-operate with the Board in its work, and

(ii) endeavour to comply with a request from the Board in respect of information of relevance to its functions.

(b) A Board may make recommendations to any public authority, local authority or other person as to the way in which the policies and programmes of such body or person should develop or operate as regards the county or city concerned and the community.

(c) Subject to the requirements of any other enactment, any public authority, local authority, or body referred to in paragraph (a), shall in the performance of its functions as regards a county or city, have regard to the strategy and to any recommendations made under paragraph (b).

(7) In performing its functions a Board shall have regard to Government policy and shall comply with any general policy directives as may be given to it by the Minister.

(8) The chief officer of a Board shall be an employee of the relevant county council or city council.

(9) The Minister may issue general guidelines for the purposes of this section as regards—

(a) representation on a Board in accordance with subsection (3) and the selection and tenure of such representatives;

(b) the involvement of other bodies and interests in the work of a Board;

(c) the funding and administration of a Board;

(d) the preparation of the strategy and its ratification by the county council or city council concerned;

(e) such other matters as he or she considers appropriate.

(10) A Board has all such powers as are necessary for or incidental to the performance of its functions under this section.

(11) (a) This section applies and has effect in relation to a county development board or a city development board constituted before the commencement of an order under subsection (1).

(b) Any guidelines relating to county development boards and city development boards which were issued by the Minister before the commencement of this section and current at such commencement apply and have effect as if issued under this section.

(c) Guidelines issued under this section may be revised by the Minister from time to time as required, or withdrawn, and new guidelines issued.