West Limerick Resources - "Committed to the Community"

Partnership Companies

A local development partnership company, West Limerick Resources is based around the concept of organisations and individuals working together to achieve their goals.  Our aim is to bring together the community, statutory and social partners to draw up and implement a local development plan aimed at countering disadvantage, tackling long term unemployment and promoting social inclusion. 

Partnerships are independent not-for-profit companies which receive core funding from the Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs, through Pobal an independent company set up to manage programmes on behalf of the Irish Government and The EU. The first twelve Partnership companies were set up in 1991 in the areas of greatest need in the country, with most of the others established during 1995-1996.  Partnerships are located in both urban and rural areas.

Arising from the joint Ministerial initiative on the review of local and community development structures, the Government agreed a series of measures in January 2004 designed to improve arrangements under which community and local development initiatives are delivered and improve cohesion and focus across various measures. 

Resulting from this, there is now one integrated local development company providing a single access point for local communities in each area throughout the country.   The final phase of the process , which commenced in October 2007 saw the establishment of 25 new integrated local development companies and the adoption of revised governance arrangements by the existing 12 integrated companies and 16 Urban Partnerships.  This has facilitated a reduction to 53 in the number of companies involved in the delivery of local development programmes on behalf of the Department.

Working with all relevant agencies and with the wider community, Partnership companies like West limerick Resources identify what is needed and develop new initiatives to address issues affecting the local community.  By linking all relevant parties our key aim is to develop a pilot project to test these initiatives and ultimately to mainstream successful projects and make them the responsibility of the appropriate state agency. The strategy and practices of West Limerick Resources compliment both local and national policy.