The chairman of the Western Development Commission has asked not to be reappointed to his position because of his frustration with the State’s approach to regional growth.
In a letter to the Minister of State for Regional Economic Development, Michael Ring, former Fine Gael Councillor Paddy McGuinness says he believes there is no commitment at either political or administrative level to balanced regional development.
The Western Development Commission was set up in the late 1990s to help reverse the effects of emigration and restore communities and employment in towns and villages in counties including Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal.
News of its chairman’s request not to be reappointed emerged yesterday, the same day as the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O Connor visited Sligo to launch a national plan for town centre renewal.
This was her response when asked in Sligo City Hall about Mr McGuinness’s action:
