County Development Board

Westmeath County Development Board (CDB) was one of 34 County/City Development Boards established in year 2000, as a Government response to the challenge of better integration of public and local service delivery. Membership of the CDB comprises representatives from the four key sectors of local government, local development, the social partners and state agencies and a key aim of the board is to bring about the more co-ordinated delivery of public and local development services at local level.

At the outset, one of the core functions of the Board was to draw up and oversee the implementation of an agreed strategy for the development of Westmeath which resulted in the publication in March 2002 of “Bringing Quality to Life” the Strategy for the Economic, Social and Cultural Development of County Westmeath 2002 – 2012. This “Shared Vision” set out the Board’s view of how Westmeath could develop economically, socially and culturally over the ten-year period of the strategy and set out the several actions necessary to achieve this vision.

The ‘Shared Vision’ set out the type of place Westmeath should be in the year 2012 – i.e.
A county that people are proud to live and work in.
A county with a clear and positive image, which celebrates its history and culture.
A county where the quality of the natural environment is paramount.
A county where all people enjoy a high quality of life. county where education is valued and is available to all people throughout their lives.
A county with a wide range of industry and employment opportunities.
A county with infrastructure to meet the needs of our current and future generations.
A county that has vibrant rural communities and economy.
A county where people are included and have a say in matters that affect them.
A county where all people have access to community and recreation services
A county that takes a positive and proactive approach to planning for the future.
A county where all people feel welcome.

The themes and goals as detailed in the “Bringing Quality to Life” strategy remain the platform for the achievement of the shared vision for Westmeath and many of the stated actions already completed and indeed new actions devised since, have been and will continue to be progressed by the relevant lead agencies and/or other relevant organisations.

In this regard, and following on from internal reviews undertaken in 2003 and 2004 on the implementation of the Westmeath Strategy, in 2005 the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, requested all City and County Development Boards to review their ten year strategies and to identify a limited number of key priorities and integrative actions aimed at a more joined up approach to local service delivery and that this should be in the format of a clearly defined 3-year action plan, with key implementers identified.

Westmeath CDB completed the latest review of its strategy in 2009 and defined a prioritised Action Plan for the period 2009-2012, with an emphasis on integrated delivery of services by participating agencies. A detailed status report on the delivery of the actions contained in the previous Action Plan 2005 – 2008 is included in Appendix 4.

Westmeath County Development Board has strong links with the community and voluntary sector through the Westmeath Community and Voluntary Forum at area and county level. The purpose of the Community & Voluntary Forum is to facilitate the representation of and participation by community and voluntary groups in matters relating to Westmeath County Development Board and Westmeath County Council, and to enable the Community & Voluntary Sector to fulfil its role as a Social Partner at local level. Other agencies represented on Westmeath County Development Board are encouraged to work through the Community & Voluntary Forum and to consult with them in matters relevant to their own area of interest or responsibility.

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