WDC poll

WDC poll shows Dubs say west’s awake

Áine Ryan

THERE was both good news and bad news in a Western Development Commission (WDC) poll published last week. On the one hand the Red C poll shows that over 41 per cent of people surveyed who live in the east would like to move west, while, on the other hand, 43 per cent believe the economic gap between east and west has widened in the past five years.
Another key finding is the increased flexibility of work practices which allow people to work in remote areas. However, this variable also militates negatively, as inferior infrastructure precludes many potential migrants from relocating west of the Shannon and away from the more congested centres.
“These results show that a lot of people value the higher quality of life available outside the major urban areas in the east coast,” observed CEO of the WDC, Ms Gillian Buckley.
She argued that this underpinned the importance of Government policy of balanced regional development.
“The thing that are holding people back from moving west is a perception that the quality of infrastructure (transport and broadband) is poorer than in the east, while a large number also believe that the type of work they seek is not available in the west,” she continued.
“Around two-thirds of those surveyed in the east believe that the quality and availability of transport is inferior in the west relative to Dublin and this is something that the Government can tackle immediately by ensuring commitments to the road routes to and through the west are delivered,” she added.
Policy Manager with the WDC, Dr Patricia O’Hara, said the continuing successful rapid growth of international routes at Ireland West Airport Knock meant that industrial connectivity needs were being increasingly met.
“Given the congestion elsewhere, dynamic regional airports are proving more and more attractive to business and leisure travellers,” said Dr O’Hara. She also said that the roll-out of broadband continued to be the bugbear in rural areas.
The poll was carried out between December 3 and 7 by telephone among a random representative sample of 800 adults – 400 in the east and 400 in the west.
The WDC is the body charged with economic and social development in counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Galway, Clare and Mayo.