The Government's programme to renew local government began in earnest in Clonmel this week when the South Tipperary County Development Board became the first in the State to hold its inaugural meeting.
The Tipperary body is one of 34 city and county development boards which, over the next two years, will draw up economic, cultural and social strategies for their areas.
The 27-member South Tipperary board is drawn from four sectors: local government, local development agencies, the State sector and the social partners. It is chaired by Cllr Pat Norris.
An ambitious timetable of targets has already been set, and by February 2002 a strategy for the county will be launched. Local authorities and other agencies will be expected to operate within the overall framework agreed.
Speaking at the inauguration of the board on Monday, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, Mr Noel Davern, said the county development boards were the beginning of "a whole new way of local governance".
He acknowledged the important work done by State agencies, local development bodies and local authorities. "But at present each agency largely operates to its own plans. The reality is that much more could be achieved for the whole community if all these agencies were singing from the same hymn sheet."
Economic development could not be dealt with in isolation, he added, which was why the CDBs were required to draw up integrated economic, social and cultural strategies. "This process goes far beyond anything attempted heretofore. In many ways it's nothing short of a radical departure in local governance.
"In many ways the CDBs are an application at local level of the partnership approach which has worked so well for us at national level," he added.
The South Tipperary board's first target is to have an audit of the statutory services in the county completed by April. An area sub-structure is to be agreed by June. A first consultative draft of the county strategy is not expected until 12 months after that. The final strategy is to be approved by November 2001 and formally implemented two months later.