Need for Longford town Family Resource Centre highlighted

Home care supports, healthcare, industry, and community services were some of the issues discussed by Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Councillor Garry Murtagh and An Tánaiste Simon Harris during a high-level meeting in Government Buildings.

The Tánaiste, along with all of his senior Ministers, met with the eleven Fine Gael Councillors who have recently been elected as the first citizen of their county on Tuesday, July 8.

Councillor Murtagh, who was elected as Cathaoirleach in June, outlined his main priorities for his term.

READ NEXT: Longford nursing home flagged for governance and management and fire precautions

“The Home Care Support Network in county Longford is under pressure. The HSE needs to actively recruit new Health Care Assistants to support the elderly and people with additional need to live in their own home and community.

“I also spoke to Minister Kieran O’Donnell about the need to implement a standalone ‘Care & Repair’ with a significant capital and labour budget and my belief that the scheme should be piloted in Longford to support people with disabilities and the elderly.

Minor Injury Clinic needed in  Longford

“I also raised the need for a new Minor Injury Clinic in county Longford on the grounds of St Joseph’s campus. 

READ NEXT: Longford man who had knife ‘put mother in fear’ after drugs intake

“A large number of people are currently required to travel to Mullingar and Roscommon to receive care for minor injuries, but the treatment process could be made far more efficient and sped up if a unit was present in Longford town. 

“This in turn would ease the burden on other follow up services and we have a significant campus at St Joseph’s that could accommodate such a development.

IDA Advanced Factory

“I want to see significant progress made with support for the IDA Advanced Factory project and from all the relevant stakeholders with a view to developments happening at the site in the short-term future. 

“Longford has a number of excellent employers with high quality jobs on offer and development of the advanced site will add significantly to the offering Longford can provide to potential industry investors.

Family Resource Centre in Longford town

“There is long standing need for a Family Resource Centre in Longford town to address the many challenges facing all elements of the community and I advocated to the Ministers the need to deliver THRIVE funding to the county which would see significant money invested in towns and villages across Longford to boost and give new life to communities and our town centres.

“I received positive feedback from the Tánaiste and Ministers to the matters I raised, and we will be working together closely over the coming weeks and months to deliver for the people of Longford.”

Impressed by level of ambition

Tánaiste Simon Harris said, “It was a real honour to sit down with Councillor Garry Murtagh, the new Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, in government buildings. 

“I was very eager to meet the Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council as he takes up office to discuss his priorities for the year ahead and about how I can assist him in my role as the leader of Fine Gael and as Tánaiste.

“We discussed a range of issues that he wanted to prioritise including how we drive the delivery of housing, private housing, people want to buy and how to deliver that in counties like Longford. How we get state agencies more involved, how we get the IDA to take investment in Longford seriously, how we improve the transport infrastructure and support local businesses.

“I was really impressed by the level of his ambition for the year ahead and very much look forward to working with him in the time ahead and delivering for Longford.”