In autumn last year, EKOS were commissioned by tsiMORAY to undertake an evaluation of the LEADER and FLAG programmes in Moray for the 2014-2020 period:

• LEADER is a European Union funding programme which provides support to rural development projects initiated at the local level. It is locally led, with volunteers forming a Local Action Group (LAG) to distribute funds. Uniquely in Scotland, the programme in Moray has been managed and overseen by a third sector organisation, tsiMORAY.
• This communuty-led approach has also been adopted for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), which supports development in fishing and coastal communities, through Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs). For the 2014- 2020 FLAG Programme, Moray was merged with the Highland region, with Moray and Highland councils taking on administrative responsibilities.

The evaluation included interviews with funded projects, development of case studies, survey work with unsuccessful or withdrawn applicants, detailed analysis of programme data, interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, and presentations to the LAG/FLAG and Accountable Body.

The full evaluation report can be accessed on the tsiMORAY website here.