Scottish Borders LEADER

Scottish Borders village with hills in background, copyright Keith Robeson

The Scottish Borders covers an area of 4736 square kilometres representing almost the whole of the catchment area of the River Tweed. With the exception of the east, which is bounded by the coastline, the area is surrounded by a horseshoe of hills – the Lammermuir, Moorfoot and Pentland Hills in the north, the Tweedsmuir Hills in the west and the Cheviot Hills in the south.

Aims and objectives

The overall strategic aim of the Scottish Borders LEADER and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) 2014 – 2020 programmes is to create Enterprising Communities.

The range of projects supported will contribute to the three strategic priorities of the Scottish Borders Single Outcome Agreement 2013:

  • Growing our economy
  • Reducing inequalities
  • Maximising the impact from the low carbon agenda

The following development themes were identified as contributing to the strategic aim of creating Enterprising Communities:

Focus on enterprise, including revenue generation and sustainability

Focus on support for small and micro rural businesses and social enterprises, including key rural sectors:

  • Tourism – including raising standards
  • Food and Drink – supply chain development
  • Creative industries – including arts, culture and events
  • Renewables – supporting the development of the low carbon economy and reducing energy bills

A focus on developing people:

  • Supporting projects that create employment
  • Developing community capacity and leadership
  • Supporting employability and youth employment
  • Supporting skills development and training opportunities
  • Geographic focus on areas of rural deprivation

The Local Development Strategy also includes five horizontal themes:

  • Community involvement
  • Equality and diversity
  • Sustainable development
  • Innovation
  • Transferability

View Scottish Borders LEADER's Local Development Strategy

Contact details

Photo courtesy of Keith Robeson