The Cathaorleach welcomed Mr. Denis Kelly, Director of the North Western Regional Assembly (NWRA), accompanied by Mr. Brendan Mooney, Programme Executive and Mr. John Daly, Economist.

Addressing the members, Mr. Kelly said the focus of the NWRA’s work was on creating better places to work and live in the region, fostering business and economic competiveness and serving as a platform for collaboration between local authorities and stakeholders. He acknowledged the contribution of the Roscommon County Council Representatives on the NRWA, Cllr. Orla Leyden and the current chairperson, Cllr. John Naughten.

Recent works undertaken by the NWRA included a Climate Action Plans Workshop and Training under the SMART regions initiative to optimise funding opportunities for the region.

He said there were eight key elements to the work of the NWRA, which includes

·        The creation of compact urban centres,

·        Improved digital connectivity,

·        Connected public transport,

·        Improved infrastructure,

·        The promotion and support of the region’s third-level institutions,

·        Property solutions to encourage people to live and work in the region

·        The creation of ‘clusters’ for community to share common benefits of connectivity and investment.

Recent submissions from the NWRA included a paper following the recent ‘Regions in Focus’ seminar, the National Bioconomic Action Plan and a submission to the Regional Housing Authority, 2024.

The NWRA is the first contact point for the delivery of EU funding for the region and had been in existence since 1999. A total of €19m had been invested by Ireland in INTERREG funds with a total of €69m drawn down for the country. Under the fund, Mr. Kelly said there are three immediate project priorities, namely –

·        The creation of a ‘smarter region’ for commercial and business growth, through ongoing research and development.

·        Funding for the Warmer Homes Scheme through the SEAI to reduce energy costs for vulnerable householders while reducing emissions.

·        The Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme, THRIVE, whereby 100% funding totalling €31m would be provided to groups and projects to develop heritage friendly projects with grants ranging from €40,000 TO €200,000.

Speaking in the context of the region’s economy, Mr. John Daly said economic imbalances continued to persist between the Eastern/Midland and West/North-West regions. This is evident in the census figures of 2022 which revealed 49.3% of the population lived in the Eastern/Midlands region, and 17.6% living in the West/North-West region.

He said the NWRA region was performing at 218^th out of 234 EU regions. Of the 43 projects listed as industrial in the region, the figure based on relative performance of other regions, should be 53 projects. Regional disparities had grown but what is required is positive discrimination for the region, the reduction of infrastructural deficits and the creation of greater regional autonomy.

Going forward he said that the revision of the National Planning Framework commenced in June 2023 and is due to be completed at the end of 2024 and new funding should follow.

The Cathaoirleach welcomed the timely presentation, claiming greater investment was needed for the region as it is obvious there is a disparity between East and West.

Cllr. Naughten thanked the representatives of the NWRA for attending the meeting and the content of the presentation. He reiterated the message that investment is required in infrastructure in the region to positively discriminate to bring the region closer to parity with other regions or will be left further behind. We need to be able to avail of all opportunities to invest. He complimented Cllr. Leyden for her contribution to the Assembly. He concluded that there are opportunities if the region can get investment and is confident the area can thrive but national support is needed.

Cllr. Leyden also welcomed the presentation and described her role on the Assembly as a great learning experience but we need to also learn from our European neighbours and the parallels with northern countries in particular.

She suggested that the Council consider what other counties are doing to support the work of the Assembly such as the creation of a designated European Officer in each local authority as there is a disconnect between the work of the Council and the NWRA. She also welcomed the THRIVE scheme that is 100% funded and this is what the people want.

The Members also welcomed the presentation and discussed as follows:

·        The region is curtailed by the National Development Plan

·        How much money has Roscommon County Council received in the past 10 years from the Assembly funding schemes?

·        It was suggested quarterly reports of NWRA activities be fed back to Members at plenary meetings.

·        An appeal was made for the reduction in delay times for applications availing of the Warmer Homes Scheme - the two year delay should be fast-tracked to 6 months.

·        It was suggested the THRIVE initiative be rolled out to include smaller towns and villages.

The Chief Executive welcomed and acknowledged the contribution and ongoing work of the NWRA. He said it was critical the development of the N61 between Athlone and Sligo was part of the NWRA Economic Plan for the area, to encourage the designation of the N61 as a national primary route. He also encouraged the allocation of 100% grants as this would reduce the pressure on local authorities to seek borrowings to leverage funding. The county needs more 100% funded initiatives as it cannot afford more 90% funded schemes.

Responding to the issues raised, Mr. Brendan Mooney said Roscommon was a big beneficiary of EU funding including LEO (Local Enterprise Office) funding which supported SME training. He said the new THRIVE funding initiative was initially confined to towns and urban centres, and expansion of the scheme to rural areas would require agreement from the EU Commission and the Department of Rural Affairs. He confirmed in respect of the THRIVE initiative, Strand One is for projects that would be 100% funded while Strand Two was a competitive process to access a funding stream of €2.7m. Staff costs are include in the funding.  Mr. Mooney confirmed he and representatives of the NWRA met with the Taoiseach in December to outline their objectives. He also confirmed he and his colleagues are advocates for the development and upgrading of the N61 route.