Dr Mairead McCormack and Colum McNicholl of Glenshane Community Development urged the Stormont Committee to embed local economic inequalities in the Regional Balance Bill, presenting evidence on November 4 that the legislation must address disparities both between and within council areas.
Appearing before the Committee for the Economy, they supported the Regional Balance Bill introduced by Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin, noting that existing council‑wide averages often conceal local disadvantage and that communities such as Dungiven face limited investment despite similar regional statistics.
McCormack stressed that economic performance should be assessed at a sufficiently local level to identify communities experiencing disadvantage, warning that larger settlements within the same council area may mask pockets where access to opportunity has changed little.
Glenshane Community Development, founded in 1989, has spent 37 years delivering community‑led investment, enterprise development and employment creation, currently employing approximately 489 people through businesses and properties it owns, contributing to local economic sustainability.
McCormack argued that measurement must go beyond headline indicators to capture practical barriers such as journey times, childcare availability, broadband reliability, affordable premises and service access, and she noted that youth out‑migration driven by limited local employment threatens community sustainability and local businesses.
Both representatives welcomed the bill’s strategic framework, which outlines departmental responsibilities, funding plans, measurable targets and implementation timescales, and called for the Executive to treat regional balance as a sustained responsibility rather than a passing policy.
Gerard Deane and Mairaid McMahon of Community Foundation Northern Ireland also emphasized the need to address inequalities within council boundaries and ensure long‑term commitment, reinforcing the call for actionable measures that translate into real improvements for local communities.
McCormack concluded that the legislation provides an opportunity to move regional balance from aspiration to concrete action, warning that the true test will be whether the commitment leads to investment, jobs and measurable enhancements in everyday life for people in places like Dungiven.
Source: www.derrynow.com
