Budget 2022: €376 million for Rural and Community Development
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, and Minister of State, Joe O’Brien TD, have announced a Budget package worth €376 million for 2022.
Some €200 million in funding is to be used to expand all of the Department’s rural schemes, such as Town and Village Renewal, CLÁR, Outdoor Recreation, LEADER and the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF).
Budget 2022 also provides for the appointment of the first ever Town Regeneration Officers.
These posts will be crucial in helping to revitalise the centre of our towns.
Reflecting the commitments under the Government’s rural development policy, Our Rural Future, Budget 2022 will further the development of the country’s first ever national hub network, Connected Hubs, and offer incentives for remote working.
There will be additional funding to invest in our outdoor amenities and adventure tourism, as well as our island communities.
The Department’s Budget also provides for further development of the popular ‘Walk’s Scheme’ in rural communities and the delivery of the proposed National Outdoor Recreation Strategy.
Learning from the experiences of the Pandemic, a specific funding scheme for community centres will be launched early in the New Year.
Furthermore, some €170 million in funding will be provided for Community Development Programmes.
This includes a 10% increase in the Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme budget – a move that will provide up to 60 new community workers nationwide.
Overall, the €376 million budget secured by Ministers Humphreys and O’Brien is the largest ever budget secured for rural and community development projects.