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Inishowen merger will have
more clout
02.08.07
TWO groups fighting
disadvantage in Inishowen are joining forces to
become one stronger body with more economic clout.
Inishowen Rural Development Ltd., and the Inishowen
Partnership Company are merging in a major shake up
of the LEADER programme for economic regeneration. |
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It is hoped the new
arrangements, being introduced by Community and
Rural Affairs Minister Éamon O'Cuiv, will enable the
new organisation to lobby for more funding both
domestic and European.
IRDL manager Andrew Ward said the two groups had
been preparing for the merger for some time and had
already started working together on various
projects.
"The negotiations between Inishowen Partnership and
IRDL from the very beginning have been conducted
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harmony and purpose,"
he said.
There have been no real difficulties and so far, it
has all gone very smoothly.
"We will be together very shortly and in a position
to roll out the programme for 2007 to 2013."
Mr. Ward said the merging of the two well-known
community/voluntary bodies will help eliminate the
confusion about what each does.
"There was always a certain amount of confusion with
the public and it eliminates that. We will now have
the partnership programmes and the LEADER programmes
and Minister O Cuiv has made it known that he would
like to see us deliver other programmes.
"Together we can look for EU programmes, as well and
probably even more successfully than we have done up
to this."
He said he anticipated the merger would be better
placed to tackle disadvantage in the peninsula.
"There is a lot more to be done and there are very
real problems that need to be tackled. I think we
will be in a better position to do that with the new
company than two separate companies," he added. |
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