A Castlebar councillor will be calling for a sub-committee to be appointed by Castlebar Town Council to address the worsening unemployment situation in the county town. Labour’s Harry Barrett will ask that this sub-committee be supported to meet with potential employers and state agencies like the IDA, to promote Castlebar as a location for industry.
Cllr Barrett stated: “We are in the middle of a jobs crisis in Castlebar. It is plain to see the number of businesses that have closed in Castlebar over the last year, and with just under 2,000 people on the live register action is now called for to deal with it. We as councillors must take a stand and my role as a Labour councillor must be to focus on workers and finding employment.
“I am meeting many young men and women at the doors who are crying out for a job. Many are facing the prospect of emigration again if action is not taken. I also have huge concerns about the prospects for our students leaving schools and colleges this year. I want Castlebar Town Council to lead the way in finding them employment.
“My idea is that the town council should appoint a sub-committee to address this crisis. The sub-committee would be charged with engaging with Government departments, the Western Development Commission, the IDA, and potential employers so that job creation is put to the forefront of town council business. Castlebar has an empty business park that will now be a challenge for us councillors to fill with new business. Therefore I will be putting the motion before councillors,” concluded Cllr Barrett.
