Sinn Féin councillor Thérèse Ruane has welcomed the unanimous backing of members of Castlebar Town Council for the ‘Communities Against Cuts’ campaign and the threatened closure of family resource centres and other community facilities in Mayo and throughout the country.
Speaking at the town council meeting on Thursday last, Cllr Ruane said: “Last September, more than 16,000 people marched through Dublin city, to demonstrate against the savage cuts to community facilities and projects throughout the country. I’m delighted that we in Castlebar Town Council have now added our voice in condemning these cuts that, if implemented, will decimate the community sector.
“Community development projects have already taken a cut of 15 per cent this year and if the McCarthy Report recommendations are implemented, many projects will face closure,” Cllr Ruane added. “Family resource centres throughout the country are also under threat of closure and this is very worrying. In Mayo, there are seven family resources centres, including the centre in Tucker Street, Castlebar. These centres do invaluable work with families, lone parents, the youth, older people, unemployed, victims of domestic violence — people who are most vulnerable in our communities.”
Cllr Ruane, who worked as a project co-ordinator in the set-up of the family resource centre in Ballina, saw first hand the real difference that community projects make every day in people’s lives. The programmes are volunteer led and are run on low budgets with no waste ensuring they make good economic sense.
“As unemployment is rising and social problems are on the increase, community projects are needed now more than ever. In challenging times, they should be expanded rather than cut back to make sure that the most vulnerable in our communities are supported and protected,” concluded Cllr Ruane.
