"The strong political clout that we have in this county should be focused on providing the funding to acquire NAMA property in Castlebar for industrial production,” said Labour Party Castlebar town councillor and Mayo County Council candidate Harry Barrett.
Barrett maintains that the delay in getting a plant ready for production is costing Castlebar in terms of jobs, and he is appealing to An Taoiseach's Office to source the funding to allow Mayo County Council to acquire the building. Barrett stated: "This should have been done from day one. We have a massive industrial plant on our doorstep that lies vacant as the town suffers the biggest hit to its economic existence in decades.
This plant must be bought immediately by Mayo County Council and must be made ready for an investor. This will require money, as Mayo County Council do not have access to the funding to purchase the building from the Receiver. This is where An Taoiseach's Office comes in. As our elected representative, I am calling on him to provide the funding to allow Mayo County Council to acquire this building. It is a scandal that it has been allowed to lie vacant for so long as the town screams out for jobs and investment.”
He continued: “If necessary, I appeal to An Taoiseach's office to access any European funding that may be available under the Disadvantaged Areas provision. Castlebar needs 1,000 jobs to recover the local economy, and the lack of an investor ready plant is one of the road blocks that must be removed immediately. The town will not recover magically without investment, and as our most senior politician, with the serious political clout available to him in the county, I am calling on him to access the funding to allow Mayo County Council to buy this building from the receiver.”
