Government accused of giving "two fingers" to Drogheda's quest for city status.
12 June 2023
Louth Labour TD, Ged Nash, has slammed the government for pouring cold water on Drogheda’s city status ambitions after Fianna Fail Minister Darragh O’Brien, dismissed the idea out of hand.
Deputy Ged Nash TD said: “This short-sighted government has effectively given two fingers to all the people working hard on our town’s quest for city status and we won’t take this lying down.”
The Louth Labour TD explained: “I recently tabled a parliamentary question to the Minister for Local Government, asking him to lay out a legislative path for Drogheda to become a city.
“I was stunned by the dismissive tone of the response from the Minister, who said in the very first line of his reply that city status for Drogheda is simply “not being considered” and there are “no plans” to legislate for city status or deliver a local authority for Drogheda.
“His reply is another in a long line of kicks in the teeth Fianna Fail governments have delivered to Drogheda. I would not have been surprised if the Minister tried to kick the can down the road on Drogheda’s city status ambitions, but I was taken aback that he would publicly dismiss the idea, out of hand.
“Drogheda’s City Status Group and the people of Drogheda have worked hard on putting the case for city status and for this government to arrogantly dismiss the notion without proper consideration is insulting.”
Deputy Nash added: “Drogheda is Ireland’s largest town and city status is crucial to its future development. It cannot be just dismissed with a wave of the Minister’s hand.
“I have always backed the quest for city status and my question to the Minister was an attempt at a practical step in laying out a legislative pathway to achieve it.
“I tried to get the process underway in 2015, by seeking to extend the boundary of our town, only for a Fine Gael-led Department of Housing to cowardly fudge the boundary question in 2017. Labour is also the only party to propose legislation in 2017, to restore a Council for Drogheda.
“One of the poorer excuses the Minister has for his refusal to create a Drogheda City Council is that the town straddles two counties, but this is exactly why we need our own local authority. Drogheda needs autonomy over its own development instead of constantly finding itself falling between the two administrative stools of Louth and Meath County Councils.”
Deputy Nash concluded: “City status, along with a new City Council for Drogheda will allow what is now a city in all but name, to grow in a more sustainable and structured way.
“For the government to simply deny the people of Drogheda a pathway to city status for no good reason other than it looks difficult, is lazy and short-sighted and they should pay the price.
“Those striving for city status for our town will not be deterred by the Minister’s dismissal and I will continue to back them in pressing the case for Drogheda City.”
ENDS