Economy to the fore

THE economy is the biggest issue for South Galway residents ahead of this week’s General Election. Of course, with more than 1,500 people on the Live Register in the Gort area alone according to January’s figures, is it any surprise?

Thirteen candidates are competing for four seats in the East Galway constituency, which stretches from Kinvara across to Gort, east to Portumna and north to Loughrea, Ballinasloe and Tuam.
Gort Family Resource Centre offers a number of services for unemployed people and co-ordinator Annie Rozario believes the new government must invigorate job creation.
“The economy is most definitely the big thing at the moment. People are being laid off and we are seeing emigration again. We are suffering here. It reminds us of the 1980s but the crash has been faster and harder this time,” commented Annie.
She believes the services provided by family resource centres are more important than ever and must be protected regardless of who is in power.
“It is incredibly difficult for people but it is fantastic that there is somewhere like the Gort FRC to come to, not that we can solve everyone’s problems or tell people the answers to everything but we can act as a signpost to help people find that information. Galway Citizens Information Centre and the Money Advice and Budgeting Service both provide outreach services here and this means people don’t have to travel to Galway. If someone doesn’t know where to turn, they can come in and sit down and have a cup of tea and we will point them in the right direction,” she continued.
Annie has contacted each of the 13 candidates asking them to sign a pledge promising to support Gort FRC if they are elected.
“We are calling on candidates to sign the pledge because the work we are doing is vital and needs to be continued. Even though candidates should have received the pledge since Friday, February 11, only one prospective TD has signed and returned it and that was Jimmy McClearn from Fine Gael. Kinvara independent Emer O’Donnell has said she will support us too,” Annie outlined.
The Gort initiative is part of a national awareness-raising exercise being run across Ireland by all 107 family resource centres.
“Nationally, there has been a fantastic response. Across all political parties and in every corner of Ireland, we have a significant number of potential TDs who have committed to putting families and communities at the heart of their work as public representatives.
“We are living in very challenging economic times and we appreciate the huge pressures that will be on the next government, but we look forward to working with all politicians to ensure that families and communities are protected in the years ahead,” she continued.
For the business community too, the economy is top of the political agenda. “For businesses in the chamber of commerce, the economy is a huge issue. The chamber is looking for renewed commitment to small and medium-sized enterprises. We want to see small companies being encouraged and developing to their potential,” commented Regina Monaghan from Gort Chamber.
“As well as the big issues that affect companies the country over, our members are also looking at the local problems which make doing business here even more difficult. Businesses in Gort want to see good roads and proper water services and they want more funding to be made available from central government for local infrastructure projects,” she added.