Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council meets Taoiseach to discuss forthcoming term

The Mayor Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council has met Taoiseach Simon Harris to discuss the priority areas that he and other councillors hope to deliver on over the next five years.

Councillor John O’Hara was among seven Fine Gael councillors currently serving as chairpersons and Mayors in Local Authorities nationwide that met with the Taoiseach in Government buildings yesterday evening.

The meeting provided the opportunity for the representatives to discuss their priority areas and projected deliverables for the next local authority term with the Taoiseach. The term is set to run up until 2029.

The meeting was also attended by Fine Gael front bench and junior Ministers.

Ballina councillor John O’Hara, who was elected Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council last month, shared that there are several priorities to be addressed over the coming Local Authority term.

“First among them is traffic congestion, it can take an hour to get from one side of Ballina town to the other, and it is not good for business locally.

“We will be pressing for progress on the long awaited Ballina Orbital route to alleviate the problem. The N26 upgrade between Ballina and Swinford is another project that needs to be completed. This is vital to ensure connectivity in the county for residents, businesses and visitors alike.

Furthermore, he addressed the proposed IDA industrial park in Ballina, and said he and his colleagues will ensure there is action on this.

“It will bring significant social and economic benefits to the region. Councillors will also work towards progressing the Crossmolina flood relief scheme,” added the Cathaoirleach.

Cllr O’Hara thanked Taoiseach Simon Harris for meeting the group and hearing what councillors intend to deliver to the people of Mayo.

He concluded: “It was also very positive that we got to engage with senior Fine Gael Ministers and to raise matters relative to their portfolios.”

Taoiseach Simon Harris said he was ‘delighted’ to meet with Councillor O’Hara and the group to discuss the work ahead.

“We had positive engagement and our councillors intend to build on the progress made with a set of priorities that will guide our work over the next five years. These include more ambition on housing, backing small businesses and enterprise, better public services and infrastructure and healthy and sustainable communities.

“I look forward to the work of the Fine Gael team in delivering on the shared ambition we have to improve peoples’ lives,” the Taoiseach concluded.