Shaun Harkin says Derry must be prioritised for investment as new Executive formed

Colr. Harkin was speaking after the first ever republican First Minister Michelle O’Neill flagged up the development of Derry as a key priority in her first speech in the new role on Saturday.

"In her opening speech First Minister Michelle O'Neill promised a new dawn and pledged to prioritise investment for Derry and regional balance.

"We have heard this many times over the last 25 years, most recently in the New Decade, New Approach deal, but it amounted to little,” he said.

The Foyleside councillor claimed that for decades under the old majoritarian Stormont regime decisions about Derry were ‘made on a sectarian basis’.

But he also criticised the lack of progress under the post-1998 Stormont Assembly.

"We were told power-sharing would be transformative but it hasn't been. Most people in Derry still think the second city of the North faces systemic discrimination.

"The lack of investment in infrastructure, in higher education provision, endemic low wages and lack of employment, and overall efforts to address all aspects of regional disparity has persisted creating dismay, distrust and deep frustration.

"This could no longer be blamed on the persistence of sectarian prejudice; there were plenty of Sinn Féin and SDLP representatives in the Assembly and at the ministerial table who claimed locally to be fighting for Derry,” he said.

Colr. Harkin claimed grassroots led campaigns helped to ‘save the rail link, save Radio Foyle, stop cuts to the health service and keep alive demands for university expansion, mass house building and much else’.

"The underdeveloped state of Derry's infrastructure, the lack of a large university campus, high numbers of people defined as 'economically inactive' and other factors all combined to justify Stormont's further marginalisation of the city and North West.

"However, all of these problems stem from Stormont in the first place,” he stated.

He referred to the appointment of Conor Murphy as the first ever republican Minister for the Economy on Saturday, to East Derry MLA Caoimhe Archibald’s position as Finance Minister, and John O’Dowd’s appointment as Infrastructure Minister.

"Sinn Féin representatives will now oversee the departments for the Economy, Infrastructure and Finance. There should be no further retreating from pledges and excuses for not turbo-charging wide-ranging investment for Derry and the North West.

"Rail upgrade and expansion, 20,000 students at Magee, a mass social housing build, jobs paying above the bare minimum and the reversal of decades of disinvestment must receive priority attention.

"Action on regional imbalance must accompany properly funding our public services. A stronger health and social care service, a properly funded education and public transport system and mass public housing building will address jobs, decent pay, deprivation and multiple inequalities,” said Colr. Harkin.

The local councillor warned against the imposition of water charges, tuition fee hikes and prescription charges and the removal of free travel passes and ‘other regressive Tory revenue raising proposals will further entrench regional disparity and inequality impacting all communities across the North’.

UUP leader Doug Beattie calls for ‘investment and stimulus’ for NW saying region ‘deserves more attention’