John Kelpie, “Super Council” chief executive.
AROUND £6.1m worth of funding under the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme has been offered to Derry City and Strabane District Council.
The funding will be used to support a number of locally-based projects and initiatives that will promote positive relations between people from different communities and backgrounds.
It will result in an increase in the percentage of people who think relations between Protestants and Catholics have improved and an increased cultural awareness of minority ethnic communities.
Derry City and Strabane District Council will be responsible for the delivery of a ‘PEACE Action Plan’ focused on three key areas: ‘Children & Young People’; ‘Shared Spaces and Services’ and ‘Building Positive Relations’.
The support will be used in the delivery of local community initiatives for children and young people involving sports, arts, culture and language.
It will help make public space in cities, towns and villages more inclusive and facilitate programmes for shared space.
The funding will also be used to assist conflict resolution activities at a local level to encourage positive interaction between residents and groups from divided neighbourhoods.
Match-funding for this element of the PEACE IV Programme has been provided by the Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in Ireland.
An announcement of the total funding offered to all local authorities across Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland was recently endorsed by Ministers from both of these match-funding Government Departments.
Welcoming the funding Derry City and Strabane District Council Chief Executive John Kelpie stated: “We are delighted to have secured this European Peace Funding which will make a significant difference on the ground locally across our entire council area from rural areas, towns and villages and in the city. Peace funding is strongly focused on reconciliation, challenging prejudice and promoting understanding of diversity and good relations.
“Our programme, which was developed in direct consultation with local communities, includes grant aid opportunities for local community organisations and tendered programmes with community and youth impact as well as a number of council led initiatives for children and young people, sports development, capital works, community planning and community development. Information is available on www.derrystrabane.com/Peace-IV and we hope to have a formal launch in due course,” he continued.
Commenting on the funding offer Gina McIntyre, CEO of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), which manages the PEACE IV Programme, said: “Local authority-led partnership played a key role within the previous PEACE Programme, in terms of ensuring that money was distributed at a local level, where it could make the most impact. As such they will play a similar role under the new PEACE IV Programme, for the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.
“Representing the public, private and community sectors this partnership is ideally placed to ensure that EU funding is invested within community-based projects that will make real and lasting change,” she continued.
