OMAGH NEEDS INVESTMENT AND JOBS - MCGOWAN
Omagh needs investment and jobs - McGowan
COMMUNITY Independent member of Omagh District Council, Mr. Paddy McGowan, has stressed the needs for investment and more jobs for the area.
The councillor described the lack of job creation in the area as a 'festering sore' in the eyes of many.
And Mr. McGowan also confirmed this week that he would be standing again in the forthcoming council election, having served as a councillor in Omagh Town for the past 16 years.
Said Mr. McGowan: "I will be standing on my past record of representing all the people of this community to the best of my ability."
The former Ulsterbus manager and firefighter said on Tuesday that there was a great need for inward investment and job creation in the West Tyrone area and, in particular, in Omagh town.
His comments followed the release of recent government job statistics which indicated Omagh having taken over as the county's jobless blackspot from Strabane.
"This is rather frustrating bearing in mind that we have some of the best educated and job-skill trained young people in the constituency of West Tyrone," said Mr. McGowan.
"Sometime after Omagh was rising from the ashes following the August 1998 bomb atrocity I asked a top level Minister in Northern Ireland would Omagh be treated as a special case for investment the answer was no.
"That certainly has proved to be the case. With what little power I have I would appeal to our six MLAs at Stormont and our West Tyrone MP to use their influence on the people with the purse strings.
"While we see other areas of the province getting a promised hundreds of jobs we seem to be forgotten. It would be nice to see a Minister coming from Stormont to Omagh with a surprise package.
"As I go around this district I am confronted with this festering sore," he added.
COMMUNITY Independent member of Omagh District Council, Mr. Paddy McGowan, has stressed the needs for investment and more jobs for the area.
The councillor described the lack of job creation in the area as a 'festering sore' in the eyes of many.
And Mr. McGowan also confirmed this week that he would be standing again in the forthcoming council election, having served as a councillor in Omagh Town for the past 16 years.
Said Mr. McGowan: "I will be standing on my past record of representing all the people of this community to the best of my ability."
The former Ulsterbus manager and firefighter said on Tuesday that there was a great need for inward investment and job creation in the West Tyrone area and, in particular, in Omagh town.
His comments followed the release of recent government job statistics which indicated Omagh having taken over as the county's jobless blackspot from Strabane.
"This is rather frustrating bearing in mind that we have some of the best educated and job-skill trained young people in the constituency of West Tyrone," said Mr. McGowan.
"Sometime after Omagh was rising from the ashes following the August 1998 bomb atrocity I asked a top level Minister in Northern Ireland would Omagh be treated as a special case for investment the answer was no.
"That certainly has proved to be the case. With what little power I have I would appeal to our six MLAs at Stormont and our West Tyrone MP to use their influence on the people with the purse strings.
"While we see other areas of the province getting a promised hundreds of jobs we seem to be forgotten. It would be nice to see a Minister coming from Stormont to Omagh with a surprise package.
"As I go around this district I am confronted with this festering sore," he added.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/0862
Published Date: 29-Mar-01
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