Kilkenny LEADER Partnership (KLP) is open to Community/ Voluntary Groups, Small Business and individuals for its 2025 renewal and new memberships. If your community/ voluntary group or business wish to be part of the development of the county- including creating new jobs, promoting social inclusion and improving the quality of life for the people of Kilkenny, now is your opportunity to become a Member of an organisation dedicated to those goals- and which has a reputation as one of the most consistently successful of the LEADER partnerships in Ireland. KLP currently has over 200 registered Members from the community and voluntary groups and small businesses of the county.

The benefits of joining are many; KLP’s Members will set policy for KLP and be at the forefront of helping to develop their county. Members will be given free admittance to KLP’s 2025 schedule of policy-setting ‘think tanks’, seminars and conferences on important issues such as Transport, Broadband, Tourism and Food Strategy.

MEMBERSHIP
APPLICATION FORM

Return to :

Kilkenny Leader Partnership, 8 Patrick’s Court, Patrick Street, Kilkenny

KLP MEMBERSHIP STRUCTURE

Who can be a Member of KLP?

Kilkenny LEADER Partnership (KLP) invites eligible parties to become Members of the Company on an annual renewable basis.  Membership from 2020 will be for the duration of a calendar year from January to December.  There are three classes of members:

  1. Community & Voluntary Groups active in Kilkenny
  2. Small & Medium Businesses operating in Kilkenny
  3. Individuals living in Kilkenny

Please note: Irrespective of adherence to Membership Criteria below, all applications for membership of Kilkenny LEADER Partnership must be approved by the Board of the Company before being accepted and registered.  The Board has it in its absolute discretion to refuse applications for membership.

Community & Voluntary groups that are eligible to apply to join KLP will have the following characteristics and observe the following principles:-

  • Be at least six months in operation and be open to members who share its goals.
  • Be active- particularly in the 6-month period before applying to join and provide evidence of the type of activities that your group has been involved in during that time.
  • Provide evidence of organisations standing e.g. Constitution, clg. etc.
  • Support the KLP ethos of community—led development.
  • Be non-profit.
  • Not be affiliated to political parties.
  • Not be a single-issue ‘or pressure group’ formed to address or lobby on an immediate or short-term issue.
  • Only one group or branch of a national organisation active in the county may become a member.

Small businesses that are eligible to join KLP will have the following characteristics and observe the following principles:

  • Meet the state’s definition of “a small business”.
  • Support the KLP ethos of community—led development.
  • Provide evidence- CRO, VAT registration number, etc. that they are a business, if requested
  • Operate and trade in County Kilkenny.
  • Pay the annual membership fee set by the Board of Directors.

Individuals who are eligible to join KLP will have the following characteristics and observe the following principles:

  • Live in County Kilkenny. Provide a postal address if requested.
  • Support the essential KLP ethos of community—led development.
  • Pay the annual membership fee set by the Board of Directors.

All Members will all have the following rights and privileges:

  • Attendance at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Company.
  • A copy of the annual financial statements and accounts of the company.
  • Regular e-zines (electronic magazines) throughout the year reporting news of KLP’s work.
  • Access to KLP’s various Members Meeting, workshops and seminars aimed at informing rural stakeholders on issues of interest.

In addition, Community Group and Small Business members will be accorded the following rights and privileges:

  • The right to vote on the proposal to approve the annual Financial Statements of KLP.
  • The right at each AGM to elect some of the directors holding the Community seats on the Board.
  • The right to be a candidate for election to the Board at the AGM.
  • The opportunity to propose and approve some selections on to the KLP’s Project Evaluation Committee
VOTING

From 2023, voting on the selection of 2 Community Group and 1 Small Business Directors will be by way of a ballot process on a ‘first past the post’ electoral system comprised of Members from the Community & Voluntary, Business and Individual groupings where nominations and elections complete before the scheduled AGM.

All Community Groups that meet the basic criteria for membership will be entitled to one single vote.

  1. Small Businesses will only be entitled to one vote per Member.
  2. Each Community Group is entitled to one vote per group.
  3. Individuals are not entitled to vote in elections.

Community Groups and Businesses will be permitted to nominate a delegate or proxy to vote of its behalf. Individuals are without vote- and thus cannot delegate proxies.

Individual persons will only be permitted to act as the representative or proxy of one community group, business or individual at any election at AGM or EGM.

 

FEES

For the present KLP has decided to remove it membership fee, but retains the right to reinstate at a later date.

A final call for the renewal of registration of membership in the calendar year will be announced by KLP to existing members in period of between 8 and 3 weeks before the AGM.

[1] Open membership means that the Group is not a ‘closed club’: all who meet share vision of the group and adhere to normal (legal) standards of behaviour should be free to join.

[2] Groups may make profits- but these must be retained or distributed to the work of the group or to other community and voluntary non-profit causes.  They cannot be shared by the members for personal benefit.

[3] Where such a body wants to become a Member of KLP, a single nominee may apply to join on behalf of all the branches or groups in the county.

[4]The government defines a small business as one employing 49 or less people with a balance sheet value of less than €4.4 million and a turnover value of less than €8.8 million per annum.

[5] Individual Members who are current Directors of KLP at the time of the AGM, will be accorded the right to vote on the Financial Statements, all other Individual Members will not have the right to vote on this item.

THE KLP ETHOS
  1. KLP ethos is based on equality, inclusion and being unambiguously community led: the ‘bottom-up’ development philosophy.
  2. Our work is focused on the needs and wants of our county. KLP services are primarily guided by the needs of the local community and small businesses.
  3. We will continue to cooperate and create partnerships with both public bodies and private business to mutual advantage.
  4. Our strategies are integrated and broadly based, including economic, social, environmental, heritage and cultural elements.
  5. We commit to using new and innovative approaches to create jobs and improve the quality of life for rural people.

If you support the KLP Ethos and would like to apply to become a registered member of KLP download an application from the box above or view the criteria for members in the relevant boxes below.