Cllr Ronan McManus

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Community Development Projects need our support.

Issued : Wednesday 14 October, 2009

Bray Labour Councillor Ronan McManus is calling on the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to immediately reinstate the future funding of our local Community Development Projects. "In the shadow of NAMA, this government has decided to cut the funding to our Community Development Projects and in doing so, close down our Resource Centres." said Cllr. Ronan McManus.

"In the Bray area we have many of these projects who work tirelessly to improve the lives of the people of the town. These are the organisations that have provided adult education services, back-to-work schemes and places where people can just drop in and meet other members of their community. They also provide support for children in disadvantaged areas through homework clubs and youth support groups.

"In creating communities in their respective areas they have become hubs for many other initiatives that would not strictly be within their brief. They have created webs of co-operation in their areas that would take a very long time to replace. An example of this is how the Little Bray Resource Centre has become a central part of the strategy to deal with flooding in Little Bray.

"We are seeing billions of public money being transferred into private shareholders' pockets through vehicles such as NAMA and the farce that is Anglo Irish Bank, and at the same time this government is cutting the legs from under those organisations that support the people who are being hit hardest by the recession.

"This is one of the most outrageous examples of "Welfare for the rich, no-fair for the rest of us." that has been the hallmark of how this government deals with its problems.", concluded Cllr. McManus.