Implicaciones en la rama de los seguros

The LAG Argyll and the Islands was initiated just prior to the start of the 2007-2013 rural development programming period. ‘The partnership already existed so there was already an

understanding amongst communities in this region that this aspect of European funding could be tapped’.352 _{During LEADER+ 2000-2006 programming period, the LAG was called} WHELK - West Highland Environment Link Kist. It was called this because it linked two regions through delivering mostly environmental projects. The two regions were Argyll and

351 _{Ekosgen (2013), page 70.}

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the Islands and Lochaber (the region neighbouring Argyll to the north). ‘When we developed

the current LEADER programme, the Scottish government said: if you want to access money, you need to demonstrate that you have got the community backing. So, part of the

development of the local development strategy was to go out and actively seek the views and desires of the wider local community. There were meetings about the LEADER project, and we got feedback, we invited certain sectors to come and visit us and tell what they wanted. And that was what initiated it’.353 _{The role of the Scottish government appeared therefore to} be particularly important in the development of the partnership. However key individuals also played a major part, indicating the significance of local circumstances and personalities. It is important to note that not everyone readily embraced this LAG approach. For instance, agricultural land use sectors felt they would not be eligible for LEADER because they are traditionally funded by other rural development measures. ‘They believed that LEADER was

not for them, so there was a common misunderstanding amongst farmers that the LEADER money was actually their money. And that through modulations, it had been taken off them and put into the rural development budget’.354

The LAG members have the responsibility for delivering the LDS and making decisions on implementing LEADER, recognizing that the LAG has an important role for the communities of the area. The LAG has the responsibility for awarding funding to successful applicants; its lead partner, the Argyll and Bute Council, is responsible for employing staff and managing the budget.

The LAG has 25 partner representatives from a wide range of public, private and community sector organisations where 49% of members are from the public sector and 51% from communities.

‘I think if the LAG got any bigger than 25 members then it would be harder to have such a coherent group. Because you start to lose interest in the periphery of the region, or you have holes in who is representing. Too many people with their own opinions. I think it works well with 20 – 25 members of a LAG in a region of this size'.355

‘Personally, I think that public bodies should be here just to guarantee transparency and not

that the private part should be 51%, because we're talking about conflict of interest. I think

353 _{Argyll and the Islands LAG Official operator no. 1.} 354 _{Argyll and Islands LAG Official operator no. 1.} 355 _{Argyll and the Islands LAG Official operator no. 1.}

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the public would be very suspicious and it might not appear to be open and transparent if it was done at a government level. I know that there are pros and cons with everything but I think because we have got local community involvement with various community

organisations that we have that transparent process there with a balance of community and professionals’.356

The Scottish government was not involved in the partnership during the previous 1994-1999 and 2000-2006 LEADER programmes. ‘Now, when the new SRDP came on in 2007 there was

a Community element of our programme that was being delivered by the Scottish government rural payments inspection directorate along with the Agri-environmental

payments and the SRDP money for developing agricultural businesses. So, one of the reasons that we were invited on was because we were also delivering Community money. Our SRDP budget was for individuals developing rural businesses and so the other part of my skills coming across would have been in delivery of schemes through Scottish government payments in terms of being able to contribute to good governance at a LAG level’.357 The membership very much stems from the priorities in the LDS. As there have been common threads in the LDS between the 2000-2006 and 2007-2013 programmes and the future 2014-2020 programming period, then there have been common LAG partners. The local authority has elected representatives from all the public agencies that operate in the area and sit on the partnership.

For example, the environment, community development and social enterprise have been common themes throughout successive programmes and ‘so our LAG partnership has

reflected this. Latterly, social enterprise has been a growing theme and more and more partners are representing this sector’.358

There is a strong business community representation, including the Federation of Small business, the Argyll and Bute Agricultural Forum as well as the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the Argyll and Bute Social Enterprise Network (ABSEN) which helps to ensure that the LAG is able to bring the economic, innovative and business impact to the programme and where the private sector (e.g. SMEs) may be beneficial.

356 _{Argyll and the Islands LAG Partnership representative no. 1. Oban, 16 December 2013.} 357 _{Argyll and the Islands LAG Civil servant no.1. Oban, 17 December 2013.}

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There are also representations and organizations that represent their local communities, such as the biodiversity sector that is represented by the Argyll and Bute Local Biodiversity Partnership. The partnership’s motivation for participation was the recognition that it ‘didn't

have enough project skill to actually deliver to get more money from Europe so LEADER became the obvious track. The amazing thing about the partnership was that you come from your own little small area and you’re meeting people from enterprises and people from communities who are actually active doing community work coming on the LAG in their own time and coming in with lots of knowledge, so it's the sharing of knowledge around the LEADER LAG. We don't just go to work and go home and sit with our families, we do other things in the community as well, because as professionals we don't like sitting around. But it is quite nice to be able to share that skill and also provide that support to community projects that otherwise mightn't think of you’.359

The farming and forestry sector is represented by the agricultural forum, which is a meeting of all the agencies and individuals representing farming. The third sector is represented by the Argyll Voluntary Action and Arran Council for Voluntary Services while tourism,

environmental and cultural organisations are represented by North Ayrshire and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National. These sectors have been a key element in the creation of the local development strategy and play an active role in its management and delivery with a bottom-up approach and involvement of all partners which could help to select the most appropriate development themes.

‘Most of the partnership are previous beneficiaries so they understand what the direct benefits are of participating. So, they put their expertise into the partnership for the benefits of others. It mostly extended to coming along to meetings to decide on who gets what funding’.360

The people representing the private sector are not acting as individuals but rather

representatives of their organisations and are also not politically elected members of other organisations on rural development bodies but they have been selected for fundamental services or whatever ‘and what LEADER does is bringing in people from the private sectors

359 _{Argyll and the Islands LAG Partnership representative no. 1.} 360 _{Argyll and the Islands LAG Official operator no. 1.}

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who are only interested in rural development and furthering beyond what is normal public life’.361

To ensure the partnership from all the different regions and sectors, the LAG has got a geographic difficulty in trying to cover the sectors and geography of the 26 islands inhabited by people as well as the lakes and mountains separating communities.