THE Scottish Government has allocated £4 million to the Scottish Borders LEADER programme for the period up to 2020, it has been announced.

The LEADER programme will offer project funding to support the development of rural areas.

The programme is underpinned by a Local Development Strategy, which was established through local consultation in 2014 and submitted to the Scottish Government for approval in early 2015.

A new LEADER Local Action Group has been appointed to manage the Scottish Borders LEADER programme up to 2020.  Made up of local people with enthusiasm for change and diverse skills, the group’s membership represents a wide variety of rural partners and stakeholders.  The Local Action Group will make decisions on applications for LEADER funding.

Scottish Borders Council is responsible for managing the funds and LEADER staff, including a co-ordinator and facilitator, will be based in the Council’s Economic Development section.

The LEADER programme will be launched later this year, but in the meantime interested parties and prospective applicants can find Expression of Interest forms online on the Scottish Rural Network website www.ruralnetwork.scot.

Councillor Stuart Bell, Scottish Borders Council’s Executive Member for Economic Development, said: “LEADER funding in the Scottish Borders is hugely valuable in supporting innovative projects that otherwise would have difficulty getting off the ground.  “I look forward to the launch of the new programme, and to seeing new projects as they develop, and welcome the appointment of the Local Action Group.”      In the previous programme, which ran from 2007 to 2013, the Scottish Borders LEADER fund was worth £3.5m and 71 projects were supported across the Scottish Borders. News, updates and case studies of achievements are available on the local LEADER website - www.scottishbordersleader.co.uk Among the successful projects in the previous programme were Stable Life, based near Selkirk, and the 7stanes mountain biking network.

Further information can be obtained by emailing scotbordersleader@scotborders.gov.uk