Chris MacManus MEP to hold Regional Imbalance Public Meeting in Claremorris
Sinn Féin MEP for Midlands Northwest, Chris MacManus, will host a public meeting on addressing regional imbalance and reversing rural decline in the McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris on Monday 15th May at 8pm. The meeting will feature contributions from Rose Conway-Walsh TD, Cllr Gerry Murray, INHFA President Vincent Roddy and former CEO of the Western Development Commission and Ireland West Airport Liam Scollan. MacManus has encouraged the public to attend the meeting and to join the discussion on delivering change for the West.
MEP MacManus said:
“Delivering balanced regional development and standing up for the West has always been a key priority for Sinn Féin and I am delighted to be hosting this discussion on addressing regional imbalance and reversing rural decline in Claremorris.”
“Over the past number of decades our region has suffered from neglect and a lack of opportunities for those of us who live here, particularly for our younger people. The EU’s downgrading of the Northern and Western region in recent years to being a lagging region and one ‘in transition’ highlights the urgency of addressing this problem.”
“We need positive discrimination for the region to turn this around and revitalize the economy in the West. The only thing that will reverse this decline is major investment in infrastructure and public services. I have been calling for Cohesion funding, State Aid flexibility, the billion euro allocation of the RRF and the Brexit Fund to be used to offer a ready-made investment package to provide for this. I have also been hosting high-level meetings with European Commissioners to highlight the particular issue here in the West.”
MacManus concluded, “There is no doubt that the current approach to regional development needs to change urgently in order to ensure that this part of the country has a sustainable future. I would encourage people to attend our meeting on Monday 15th May to join the discussion on how we can bring about change for our region.” ENDS
Event Image:
——————- Chris MacManus Press Photo —————————-
