Pre-budget submission presented to Ministers and elected representatives calls for urgent resourcing of community-led delivery nationwide
Dublin, 17 June 2026 — The Local Development Companies Network (LDCN) has today formally presented its Pre-Budget Submission for Budget 2027 to senior Ministers and elected representatives at an event in Buswells Hotel, Dublin, calling on Government to match the ambition of its national policies with sustained investment in the community-led systems responsible for delivering them.
The submission sets out a series of targeted measures—including increased funding for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), protection and expansion of LEADER, and strengthened supports for community-based services—which the network said are essential to translate policy commitments into tangible outcomes for individuals, families, and communities across Ireland.
Representatives of Local Development Companies from across the country attended the event, where the submission was formally handed to senior Ministers, highlighting the sector’s role as a key delivery partner in implementing national policy at local level.
The publication comes as Government prepares to implement major strategic frameworks, including the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2026–2030 and the OECD Rural Policy Review. LDCN said Budget 2027 represents a critical opportunity to ensure these policies are adequately resourced and positioned for success.
Among the key recommendations are an additional €6.1 million investment in SICAP, measures to secure the long-term future of LEADER, basing wider Sláintecare Healthy Communities rollout on a strengthened implementation and funding model, and €12 million to strengthen community employment schemes, alongside embedding €10 million in annual integration supports within core, multi-annual funding structures.
Máirín Ó Cuireáin, CEO of the Local Development Companies Network, said the submission highlights the importance of investing in delivery as well as policy design:
“Local Development Companies are a trusted bridge between policy, people and place. Today’s presentation to elected representatives reinforces a central message — that ambition at national level must be matched by investment in the structures that deliver real change in communities.”
She said that without appropriate resourcing, key national strategies risk underperformance:
“We have seen from previous policy cycles that ambition on its own is not enough. If Government is to meet its targets on social inclusion, rural development, and integration, it must ensure that community-led delivery systems are properly resourced, sustained, and supported to respond to increasingly complex needs.”
The submission highlights both the scale and reach of Local Development Companies, which support more than 150,000 people and 6,000 community groups annually, employ over 1,750 staff, and deliver approximately €230 million in supports each year in communities across the country.
Chairperson of LDCN, Thomas Fitzpatrick, said Budget 2027 must act as a bridge between policy intent and implementation:
“Budget 2027 must show an ambition that matches that of the policies it will support. Presenting this submission to policymakers today was about ensuring that the systems required to deliver these ambitions are recognised, resourced, and strengthened.”
The submission also highlights challenges in meeting national social targets, noting that child poverty increased to 7.8% (95,167 children) by 2025, while consistent poverty rose to 4.7% (256,554 people)—indicating a widening gap between policy targets and outcomes.
LDCN said these trends underline the need for a more integrated, place-based approach to policymaking—one that connects social inclusion, economic development, and community resilience, and is grounded in the lived experience of communities.