Kelly – DARD Minister cannot buy off Strabane

SDLP Strabane councillor Patsy Kelly has welcomed the 40 new DARD jobs that Minister O’Neill has promised to the town, but has raised questions regarding her decision to relocate DARD 800 jobs to Ballykelly.

Patsy Kelly said: “Whilst I welcome these forty new DARD Direct jobs to Strabane. There are questions which still remain over the allocation of 800 DARD jobs to Ballykelly. Strabane has suffered from years of underinvestment, we have problems with high unemployment and deprivation. The move of DARD jobs to would be a massive boost to the local economy and spark off regeneration of the town.

“The Minister advised the Assembly in January that her decision was based various socio-economic factors, including deprivation and unemployment levels. This is direct conflict with the evidence presented to her by departmental officials. Strabane outscored all other potential locations, including Ballykelly, on a range of criteria set by her officials for the location of the DARD jobs. The Minister then proceeded to relocate jobs to Ballykelly without presenting the evidence or a business case for this decision. Four months now, we are still waiting on that business case to be presented.

“The Minister cannot simply buy off Strabane with forty jobs, we deserve better than this. The Minister cannot hide away from the evidence that her own department provided to her to relocate the 800 jobs to Strabane. I will continue to press the Minister to present her evidence to deny Strabane these jobs. ”

SDLP welcome repair work to footpaths in Victoria Bridge

This week the SDLP in Strabane has welcomed the repair works currentlybeing carried out on a number of footpaths in the Victoria Bridge area.

SDLP representative Mary McCrossanhas welcomed the repair works and said “The footpaths in question have been inneed of repair for quite some time. Our office on Butcher Street and ourrepresentatives on the ground have been contacted on numerous occasions byresidents, regarding the state of the footpath and the dangers it currentlyposes. The footpaths are very well used by residents both young and old.”

“The footpaths were cracked andstarting to break up around the edges. This posed quite a serious health andsafety hazard for anyone using the footpaths.”  

“Following contact with DRD RoadsService, I am pleased to see the work to repair the footpaths in question beingcarried out. These repair works will have a significant improvement on thequality of the footpaths in Victoria Bridge especially in terms of usabilityand safety. I hope these works will help to secure the future health and safetyof residents in Victoria Bridge.”   

SDLP carry out survey of Urney Road Area

In the last number of days the Strabane SDLP Team have been going door-to-door in order to complete a survey the party is carrying out in the Urney Road area.

SDLP Constituency Representative Daniel McCrossan explained, “Our office has been inundated with complaints regarding a play facility for children in the Urney Road, Castletown Court, Carricklyn Avenue and Jefferson Court areas, along with other areas in the vicinity. We decided to carry out a door-to-door survey in order to gather information and attain the views of all residents in the area on this issue.”

“The response we received was almost completely in favour of a play facility for children in the area, as many residents must travel to other areas in Strabane and even as far as Derry or Letterkenny to use a play park. The SDLP team believe that as rate payers, residents are fully entitled to a play facility in their area. Unfortunately as we carried out the survey it was made very clear that no provision had ever been made, when the houses were being built, for a play area for children.”

“Residents raised various issues, but most concerning was that of children having to play on the road, and fears they may be hurt by a passing car. The SDLP representatives and our elected Councillor Patsy Kelly, who carried out the survey, will now use the information gathered to lobby Strabane District Council and other relevant authorities for the placement of a community run play facility for children in the area.”

Children's lives at risk!

This week the SDLP in Strabane has called for the Department of Regional Development to act before a tragedy occurs at a local primary school.

West-Tyrone MLA Joe Byrne said “The SDLP in Strabane is greatly concerned with the traffic flow outside of St. Anne’s Primary School, during both the morning and evening school runs. Our office on Butcher Street has been inundated with parents, terrified in case a child is badly injured or worse to speeding traffic.”

“In the area there are two Primary Schools and a local church which brings a lot of traffic flow especially in the morning. We have witnessed the traffic problem for ourselves and were shocked at how dangerous it actually was. We have contacted DRD Roads Service on a number of occasions an insisted on action being taken but any meaningful precautions has yet to take place.”

West-Tyrone SDLP Constituency Representative Daniel McCrossan said “The area is an absolute death trap at peak traffic times. When the children are leaving the school they must manoeuvre around both parked cars and moving traffic, whilst parents and residents watch on in the hope that no one is hurt. We have been informed the school crossing patrol officer has also had a few near misses whilst trying to safe guard the children.”

“This is simply not good enough, and the SDLP believe the health and safety of our children should be of paramount importance to any public body. We have raised this to Roads Service on a number of occasions, yet have been constantly told the area is as safe as it needs to be. We believe this is the wrong attitude and I would call on Roads Service to take action before it’s too late.”

West Tyrone SDLP Lobby for A5 Road

This week the West Tyrone SDLP has been lobbying to get Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy, to ring fence funding for the proposed A5 Western Transport Corridor.

West-Tyrone MLA Joe Byrne stated “The SDLP in West-Tyrone is fully committed to delivering the A5 for the people of the North West. I have been lobbying for the building of this road since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement over 15 years ago. I see this as the greatest opportunity to bring the North West of Ireland, to an equal footing in terms of economic investment, with the rest of the province. I have stated many times that areas in the North West, especially towns like Strabane and its people, have been discriminated against in terms of investment since partition in 1921.”

“The A5 is not only important in an economic sense, but also in terms of safety. I know personally of five families who have lost loved ones on this road. It is a terrible tragedy for any family to endure, and I fully believe that the construction of the new A5 road would greatly improve safety for drivers and reduce fatalities suffered on our roads.”

West-Tyrone Constituency Representative Daniel McCrossan followed on by saying “This road is not only essential at present, but is essential for our future and the future of our children and grandchildren. This road will bring jobs to an area that has seen very little effort made by central government to reduce unemployment. The one beacon of light in an ever darkening future has now been extinguished due to the ridiculous management of the DRD.”

“I would call on the Minister Danny Kennedy to ensure the A5 funding is ring fenced, and all possible efforts made to bring forward the start date for construction. The Minister must realise that the people of the West deserve better!”       

SDLP welcomes Poots decision on Residential Homes

SDLP MLA Joe Byrne has welcomed the decision from the Health Minister Edwin Poots to reverse the proposals in closing of residential care homes.

The West Tyrone MLA said: “I have been deeply concerned by the anxiety and distress that elderly residents of Greenfield residential home have felt in regards to the minister's poor management of the situation and his apparent disconnection with the health trusts.

“The minister needs to start asking fundamental questions about how the trusts were able to take steps in implementing proposals, which were in direct conflict with the departmental policy contained in the Transforming Your Care document. The SDLP have had concerns in regards to this policy and will be calling on the minister to bring forward legislation to prevent the stealth privatisation of the health and social care system.

“Whilst I welcome this belated decision by the minister to take steps in order restore public confidence in his department. There are serious questions which still need to be answered by the minister in regards to this policy and his departments communication with the health trusts senior management."

Byrne: Greenfield home must be retained

Joe Byrne SDLP MLA for West-Tyrone talking about the Greenfield Residential Home issue, in a statement said “The SDLP in Strabane and myself as an MLA for West-Tyrone have been working tirelessly for two days on the issue of Greenfield Residential Home which the Western Care Trust seem hell-bent on closing. A team of SDLP activists in Strabane and me visited Greenfield home on Wednesday night and met residents, their families, as well as the staff. We also met the Health Trust Management team dealing with residential home care across West-Tyrone.”

“On Thursday, four of us travelled to the Trust Headquarters in Altnagelvin in Derry, and we handed in two official letters about the residential home to the Chief Executive of the WCT and the Chairperson of the board.”

“The letter emphasises the need for the Trust to recognise the case for retaining a publically owned residential home in Strabane. The long term residents of Greenfield Home and their families need the support of the community to halt the possible closure of this home. I would contend that the Trust should carry out a full analysis and evaluation in order to ensure that all possible options are fully examined, to try and keep this residential home within the public service provision for healthcare.”

“As a political party the SDLP are committed to the residents and all concerned with Greenfield Home. The residents and staff should not have to experience the current uncertainty regarding their future, just because Trust management have decided to be cavalier and insensitive to the community’s needs. We must fight even if it means meeting the First Minister and deputy First Minister. The Minister for health Mr Poots must restrain the Health Trusts management in their ulterior motives for closing these residential homes.”