COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, March 13, 2023

QUESTION NO. 1

QUESTION: Councillor Carly Bailey

To ask the CE if there has been any research or work carried out in relation to a county wide anti-poverty strategy and would the CE consider doing so in the near future?

REPLY:

The Council’s ongoing social inclusion work looks to prioritise the needs of communities experiencing social or economic exclusion, including rural isolation poverty and social exclusion, and recognising that promoting social and economic inclusion requires us to recognise and seek to address the root causes of exclusion as well as developing strategies and mechanisms to promote and ensure inclusion.

The Council, with the oversight of the Local Community Development Committee and the Economic, Enterprise and Tourism Development Strategic Policy Committee, is currently in a process for the development of a new Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) for South Dublin County.  The purpose of the LECP, as provided for in the Local Government Reform Act 2014, is to set out, for a six-year period, the objectives and actions needed to promote and support the economic development and the local and community development of the County, both by the Council itself directly and in partnership with other economic and community development stakeholders.

In accordance with article 66B of the Local Government Reform Act 2014, the LECP is required to be within the context of the principles of sustainable development. The UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice and tackle climate change, by 2030.  The SDGs a call for action by all countries to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognise that ending poverty must go hand in-hand with strategies that lead to sustained, sustainable and inclusive economic growth and address a range of social needs, including education, health, social protection and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection.  In this context, the LECP will include a priority objective to tackle poverty in the County, including through of community-based services  to promote social inclusion and tackle poverty and disadvantage and the associated implementation plan will detail actions in relation to education, training and skills development, the provision of life-long learning opportunities, and the development of training infrastructure to support greater access to employment and self-employment and improve people’s work readiness, including marginalised target groups and young people.  It will also provide a framework for the creation and sustainment of employment and self-employment opportunities, developing social, economic and physical infrastructure to address social exclusion, poverty and disadvantage, reverse social and economic decline and to realise growth potential and the sustainability of communities, including provision of services related to health and well-being, social integration, tackling disadvantage and combating poverty.

As part of preparation for the new LECP for South Dublin, a seminar supported by the Local Community Development Committee, the Children and Young Person’s Services Committee and the Council, was held in October 2022 to explore poverty experience, incidence, and mitigating factors with service providers working within South Dublin County.  In addition, a further event is being arranged for April 2023 to consult directly with young people on the issue of poverty for young people living in the Count.  The outcomes and recommendations from the event will inform the objectives and actions in the LECP. 

The current Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2018 – 2023 provides funding to tackle poverty and social exclusion through local engagement and partnerships between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector agencies.  Administered by Pobal, SICAP is co-funded by through the Department of Rural and Community Development, and the European Social Fund Plus under the Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training Programme 2021 -2027.

SICAP addresses high and persistent levels of deprivation through targeted and innovative, locally led approaches. It supports disadvantaged communities and individuals including unemployed people, people living in deprived areas, people with disabilities, single parent families, people on a low income, members of the Traveller and Roma community and other disadvantaged groups.

The programme is managed locally by the South Dublin Local Community Development Committees, with support from the Council, and the programme is delivered under contract by South Dublin County Partnership (SDCP).  SDCP work on an ongoing basis with marginalised communities and service providers using a community development approach to improve people’s lives and report to the LCDC on delivery of the programme and its key performance indicators.