Kevin Callan proposes Drogheda Employment and Business Commission

Kevin Callan proposes Drogheda Employment and Business Commission

With unemployment levels in Drogheda almost doubling over the last year, Drogheda North Fine Gael Representative, Kevin Callan has said that the time has come for Drogheda to pull together and create employment within the town. He is calling for the formation of a Drogheda Employment and Business Commission.

“In May, 2008 there were 3,859 people on the live register in the town, now this month there are 7,457. The time for complaining and giving out is over and the time for positive action has arrived. We as a town need to pull together and take on an inititative that sees our town’s unemployment levels decrease. Drogheda can be better”.

Mr. Callan is calling for a decisive local employment drive with the next Borough Councils lifetime of 2009-2014 in conjunction with local TD’s and the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses and anyone who wants to help in securing investment in the town and employment for our people.

Mr. Callan has told the Drogheda Independent that one of his top priorities if elected to Drogheda Borough Council is to put forward a strategy that will see the town of Drogheda seeking inward investment and an end to the huge increases in our local live register figures.

“In Dundalk this month, there are 5,878 people on the live register, last year that figure stood at 3,254. These figures show that Drogheda not only has had more people unemployed but that our town has had a steeper rate of unemployment than Dundalk. We now have a town with vacant retail units, vacant shops in our town centre and so on. I have spoken to many people who have lost their jobs, who are on short weeks and who want something done. As a result I am asking all of the councillors elected in this election and all business people to come together to help our town and to get our town moving again.

Mr. Callan is seeking a comprehensive list of all vacant shops and units in the Drogheda area along with the names of their owners. He wants the Borough Council to assist on this front and also wants the Council with the assistance of the Chamber of Commerce and local the local business community to get out to meet corporate bodies that could be drawn to Drogheda.

“I know we are in a recession, I know that we have to be realistic that jobs have been lost, but we should be out there fighting for our town, promoting our town and getting it moving again”.

“We need to see a range of measures to support and encourage economic activity in Drogheda, including a programme of meeting local business leaders and the establishment of a high level 'think tank’ to help stimulate business ideas. We also need a programme of visits to all of the major employers in the town, the establishment of an economic development sub-committee that would act as a business task force for the town; a fast-track system for planning applications for large economic development projects is in place; a major campaign to promote Drogheda as the ideal location in which to set up and do business is continuing; an examination of all council activities to ensure they are business friendly is undertaken immediately, we also need a review of the County Development Plan to ensure that policies are positive to those trying to establish new enterprises.

“I want to see a business expansion levy which provides for a 50 per cent reduction in development levies for expansions to existing business in town.

“This commission should, as a first task, identify and bring together representatives of the major employers and businesspeople in the town and get their input as to measures that should be taken in order to get business going again,” he said.

A second leg of Kevin’s plan is for a new tourism strategy and he has said that the next council must pull in all local people with an interest in the town’s history and get a strategy that will secure tourism for the town.

“If we look at our towns current strengths, we have a historic walled town, we are just out the road from Oldbridge and Bru na Boinne. We can build on this immediately and get a plan in place. Figures show that more and more Irish people are holidaying in Ireland and we have an opportunity here to get Drogheda on the Tourist map. It is a disgrace that it has not been a main centre for historical tourism up to this time and that has to change. I want to be able to make this possible and this would be of great help to our local economy.

People with any ideas, need to come out and get involved, together Drogheda can move on, we need to be committed to this goal and to put everything we have into getting Drogheda moving”.