A total of €184,875 has been allocated to five communities in rural Waterford as part of the 2024 CLÁR scheme according to Waterford Fine Gael Senator and General Election candidate John Cummins.
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys and Senator Cummins made the announcement this morning. Senator Cummins said “The funding announced today is further evidence of mine and this governments continued commitment to improving community facilities across rural Waterford. The €184,875 will support community groups in five areas across the county who have been working hard to improve facilities in their area”.
CLÁR (Ceantair Laga Árd Riachtanais) or Funding for Small-Scale Rural Projects is a targeted investment programme which provides funding for small-scale - infrastructural projects in rural areas that have suffered the greatest levels of population decline. CLÁR is just one piece of the Department’s Rural Development Investment Programme, which provides a package of coordinated and complementary supports for rural areas.
Senator Cummins said “I would like to thank all those involved in putting the applications together, it certainly makes my job easier in lobbying for funding when strong applications are submitted. I also want to also compliment the Fine Gael councillors in west Waterford who assisted me in advocating strongly on behalf of these communities”.
The project details are below;
Senator Cummins added “today’s funding has been allocated under Measure 1: Community Facilities and Amenities where the minimum allocation is €5,000 and the maximum allocation is €50,000. This funding for the five groups is in addition to the €50,000 allocation to the West Waterford Rapid Response Vehicle group under Measure 2 which wassuccessfully awarded on appeal”.
Speaking at the announcement Minister Heather Humphreys said “The budget for the CLÁR Programme 2024 has increased to €8.7 million from €5 million two years ago. The CLÁR Programme is all about adding life to our rural towns and villages through the delivery of high quality community and sports projects. It’s about empowering local communities so that they can realise their vision and their potential – ensuring they benefit from projects that make them better places to live, work, retire and visit”.