South West Mayo development company announces restructuring

South West Mayo Development Company (SWMDC) has announced a restructuring of its office and outreach services. 

It was confirmed that it will operate predominantly from a centralised office in Castlebar while maintaining outreach provision across its service area. 

The Local Development Company, which serves communities in Mayo, Galway and Roscommon, said the decision followed an 18-month review of its facilities and operations, carried out in consultation with its board and staff. The review concluded that consolidating resources and work practices would improve collaboration across programmes and teams.

READ MORE: Mayo solicitors' firm announces appointment of new partner

The organisation previously operated from offices in Newport, Balla and Castlebar. Under the new structure, most staff will be based at the Castlebar headquarters, while outreach offices will continue to operate in Newport and Balla. SWMDC confirmed that staffing levels will remain unchanged, with almost 70 staff directly employed by the company and a further 350 people supported through social employment schemes.

Chief Executive Sabina Trench said the move towards a centralised office model was driven by a desire to strengthen collaboration and communication across programmes.

She stated that reduced office usage since the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with increased staffing and programme demands, prompted the organisation to reassess how it operates.

The amalgamation of SWMDC’s offices will not affect communities and programmes in any way, stressed the SWMDC Chairperson, Thomas Fitzpatrick.

 “In addition to the Castlebar office, we are planning to retain a company presence in Newport and Balla with two new outreach offices.

“For the communities, businesses, and people in our area, they can still expect the same high levels of service that we have always delivered. This includes placements from our social employment schemes such as Rural Social Scheme, Tús, and Community Employment,” he added.

Photo caption: Left-right: Thomas Fitzpatrick (Chairperson, SWMDC), Tony Hetherington (Rural Social Scheme Supervisor), Sabina Trench (CEO, SWMDC), Pat Boyle (Chairperson, Balla Community Resources Development), Norita Clesham (LEADER Project Officer), and Martin Dillane (Rural Recreation Officer). Photo: Trish Forde.