Socially deprived areas priority
COUNTY WEXFORD drama groups were praised for leading the way on the national stage, with several nominations in All Ireland awards competitions.
Cllr George Lawlor said amateur groups in the county should be praised more for the role they play in introducing people to the stage and allowing them to perform ‘at the highest level’ on stages across the county and nation.
He said five groups from the county are in the running for awards at the All Ireland confined ON March 26 the signing of the Social Inclusion and Community Activation programme 2018-2022 (SIPAC) contract between Wexford County Council, Wexford Local Community Development Committee and Wexford Local Development took place in County Hall.
The meeting heard that its purpose is to tackle poverty, social exclusion and long-term unemployment in the county through local engagement and partnership between disavantaged individuals, community organisations and public sector organisations. and open section finals.
‘ There are nine groups in the open section and three are from Wexford,’ Cllr Lawlor said.
Cllr Malcolm Byrne said: ‘I sometimes think we take it for granted as we are so used to seeing County Wexford groups in the All Ireland. The fact that there are three out of nine and two out of nine are in the confined section out of all of the drama groups in Ireland is an enormous achievement. It’s something we don’t shout about enough.’
The contract was signed by CEO Tom Enright, Kathleen Codd Nolan, chairperson of Wexford Local Community Development Committtee and by Michael Wall, chairperson and Brian Kehoe, CEO of Wexford Local Development. Cllr Malcolm Byrne said: ‘We haven’t seen evidence of areas of social deprivation and exclusion being tackled like this. What measures are we, as a council body, putting in place at the end of this programme? Yes, money will be spent but in a number of disadvantaged communities we won’t have seen money spent. It’s very easy for some communities to be able to access resources, while others can’t.
‘While congratulating Wexford County Council on the contract what measures of success do we have in place once this programme is finished and will we see real progress?’
Director of Services John Carley said the whole area has to be looked at. ‘ There were some disappointments (under the previous programme). We will be putting robust measures in place to ensure everything is successful in areas that are socially deprived and in areas where there have been no improvements in.’ THE development of a greenway across one of Ireland’s longest bridges, the Red Bridge, linking with Kilkenny County Council’s planned greenway from Rosbercon to Waterford city, is at planning stage, CEO Tom Enright said. A Part VIII application is being submitted for the section of red bridge route located in Kilkenny and for a link from the Rosbercon road to the county boundary. Wexford County Council as lead authority for the regional greenway office is preparing a regional strategy for the development of an integrated network of greenways across the south east. A brief for services for the design and tender of the proposed regional greenway route has been completed and will be issued for tender. Mr Enright said: ‘It is planned that this network of greenways would be developed as a major tourism resource that links with national greenways and opens up the south east region to the activity and recreational tourism market nationally.’