In December 1998 the Interdepartmental Task Force on the Integration of Local Government and Local Development Systems identified the need for further integration & co-operation at local levels of governance and public service delivery.

The Task Force issued two reports:

Report of the Task Force on the Integration of the Local Government and Local Development Systems and
" Preparing the Ground” – Guidelines for the Progress from Strategy Group to County/City Development Boards.

In the second report it recommended the establishment of City and County Development Boards and as a direct response Dún Laoghaire – Rathdown County Development Board (DLRCDB) was established in April 2000.

The Board is representative of four principal areas of contribution to the long-term and sustainable development of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown:

• local government,
• local development,
• state agencies delivering services at a local level in the County and
• the social partners.

The Board's common purpose comprises four elements, the commitment to:

• develop a shared vision to 2012 for the County and create a set of supportive strategic goals and objectives to act as a framework for delivery and enabling the vision to be realised;
• effectively promote and market the strategy as an ongoing process of engagement with the stakeholders, decision shapers and takers, the communities and residents within the County, and those who influence impacts on the County from elsewhere, regionally, nationally and internationally;
• develop, in partnership with others, an implementation path informed by a structured strategic Action Plan matched with the appropriate resources to achieve the goals and objectives;
• ensure that an effective implementation process is informed, structured, flexible and capable of regular and timely review and evaluation to enable responsive changes to the overall strategic development of the County.