Community led local development

Community led local development (CLLD) is a new way of funding the delivery of local development projects using European funding to deliver employment, skills, enterprise and community-based activities.

Community led local development (CLLD) is about local people getting involved to lead activities that provide sustainable economic benefits in areas of Sunderland that face significant challenges because of, for example, social exclusion, limited job opportunities, or low levels of employment. It aims to support activities that help to:

• Enhance employment and skills provision
• Boost enterprise and entrepreneurship
• Improve community capacity, partnership working and social innovation

CLLD provides an opportunity for developing new and maybe different ways to focus on the particular needs and circumstances in a very local area and for a particular community that other programmes and initiatives might not be able to do so. It brings together local communities to explore and understand the challenges and experiences that sometimes make it difficult for people to find a job or set up a new business. CLLD encourages new ideas - new techniques, new technologies, new knowledge, new approaches - as well as applying existing successful ideas into new areas.

To do this, a Local Development Strategy has been prepared which sets out the area's economic problems and potential opportunities and what might be the best ways of tackling these at the local level. The CLLD Strategy is a 5-year programme that aims to stimulate the local economy to deliver jobs and growth, by supporting activity that addresses the local needs and opportunities. To support the CLLD programme, a Local Action Group (LAG), made up of community representatives, public, private and voluntary organisations, has been established to explore the issues, agree the best solutions and activities, and monitor the programme success.

For more information on CLLD please email: clld@sunderland.gov.uk