Month: October 2020

Application to be Managing Authority for the Atlantic Area Programme

Recently the Northern and Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) submitted an application to be Managing Authority for the Atlantic Area Programme – https://www.atlanticarea.eu/ . The programme is currently managed out of Portugal.

Tomorrow we have been invited to present for interview and outline our vision for the programme.

We have recorded the following presentation detailing our application and demonstrating our competencies as a Managing Authority.

It has been a real collective ‘Team Ireland’ approach and irrespective of the result can we express our sincere appreciation to our colleagues in the Regional Assemblies, DPER, DHLGH, DFA in Brussels and the Irish Regions Office.

We received numerous levels of encouragement from other member state delegations involved to apply. This, in no small part, is testament to the esteem our colleague Brendan Mooney, as National Contact Point is held by the programme partners. Can I acknowledge his role in developing an extremely strong application and presentation.

Irrespective of result the dialogue and competition can only improve the programme management.

Thank you for your assistance and we look forward to seeing the outcome.

More than 1 in 4 private sector workers are capable of operating remotely – a huge opportunity for the region

Remote working has the potential to open up an array of economic and environmental opportunities for all our towns and villages

More than one in four private sector workers in Ireland is capable of working remotely and the development of co-working hubs with high speed broadband has the potential to open up an array of economic and environmental opportunities and stimulate inclusive recovery in our regions, a new report shows.

The Regional Co-Working Analysis – which was prepared by the three Regional Assemblies of Ireland – found that 387,000 private sector workers are capable of operating remotely in Ireland; with just over 186,000 likely to be based in Dublin as of Q2 2020.

The comprehensive Regional Co-working Analysis provides critical data that will assist in developing the potential of remote working in our regions, a pattern which has become the norm since the COVID-19 outbreak began.

Of the 387,000 or 27.4% of private sector workers capable of operating remotely in the analysis carried out earlier this year:

65.5% or 253,600 were based in the Eastern & Midland region
23.6% or 91,300 were based in the Southern region
10.9% or 42,100 were based in the Northern & Western region

Speaking at the launch Cathaoirleach, Cllr David Maxwell said: “This is the single biggest opportunity for regional Ireland. Retaining remote workers in high value jobs is something we now have to incentivise, both across private and public sectors. It’s an opportunity to reimagine our towns, villages and urban areas“.

The 8 areas of consideration for policymakers include detailed consultation with private firms in sectors that are capable of operating remotely, seeking their views on factors that need to be addressed to allow employees to work remotely from co-working hubs on a permanent basis. It also suggests a nationwide survey be carried out on the current capacity of co-working hubs – both privately and publicly owned – in consultation with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Enterprise Ireland, the Regional Assemblies of Ireland and the Local Enterprise Offices.

The Regional co-working Analysis proposes a nationwide survey that identifies the ideal work location of private sector workers whose jobs are considered to be remote workable, while simultaneously identifying the up-to-date habits of commuters who have remote workable jobs.

The joint analysis suggests exploring the possibility of providing employers with a tax credit for every employee that is allowed to operate outside of its own head office in Ireland, as a means of encouraging private firms to let employees work in geographical locations of their own choice.

The analysis also urges policymakers to enhance the level of funding provided to the Regional Enterprise Development Fund and explore a range of match funding opportunities to deliver more co-working hubs within or close to Designated Regional Growth Centres and Key Towns as defined by each Assembly’s Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy and prominent rural communities. Resources from the European Regional Development Fund for such works should also be considered.

The final recommendation is that we safeguard funding for the National Broadband Plan to allow for the delivery of up to three hundred “Broadband Connection Points” across Ireland, providing remote working opportunities in rural communities.

The analysis also shows a total of 186,476 private sector workers in Dublin were likely to be capable of operating remotely, as of Q2 2020.

Read or Download the Report

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An Opportunity for Rural Retail in South Sligo

An Opportunity for Rural Retail in South Sligo

SARURE (Saving Rural Retail) South Sligo announces the third in a series of events. All interested parties are welcome to join online on Tuesday, 3rd November at 10-11a.m. as SARURE explores the opportunities for rural retail with Susan Hayes, the Positive Economist.

Susan, “The Positive Economist” will virtually come to Sligo and give a whistle stop tour of tools, technologies and techniques that you can put to work in your business right away to make the best of your business.

Register today: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrceCorTkpEtKp_XylirXFdkSff3KUvs0q or through the link on SARURE South Sligo Facebook or Twitter page.

Susan Hayes Culleton “The local economy is the economic glue that bring the social fabric together. People rely on local businesses to produce goods, services and experiences every day. Ireland has been catapulted into a totally different environment right now that it has never seen before. Rural retail has an opportunity now to take advantage of two mega trends – the accelerated move to buying online and the working from home adoption that has swept across the country. However, there are challenges that range from finding finance to motivating staff to standing out among the crowd to uncertainty and more.”

Susan regularly presents at conferences and keynotes on economics, the stock market, banking, entrepreneurship and finance. As the Positive Economist, she is a frequent media speaker, regularly interviewed on The Sunday Times (Malta), TV3, RTE, Newstalk and Today FM (Ireland). This will be an interactive session with Susan with an opportunity for businesses to ask questions.

Ray O’Grady, Sligo County Council discusses the projects background “The traditional model of high street retailing is under significant pressure in the modern age. The pressure on the high street retail sector is being felt most acutely in rural areas of not just County Sligo but in similar such areas all over Europe. This has increased two-fold in 2020 with the arrival of COVID19 and the added pressures on retail. Sligo County Council has partnered with Local Authorities and Universities from across the continent to seek innovative solutions to the growing problem of the loss of vital retail services in our valuable rural communities. We look forward to this virtual event discussing the opportunities for businesses offering rural retail in Sligo”.

SARURE is an Interreg Europe project to which Sligo County Council is partnered. It is an inter-regional cooperation project which is tasked with improving policies aimed at SME competitiveness. The project is led by the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Teruel (Spain) and we are joined by partners from Germany, Greece, Spain, Finland, Poland and Sweden. The project is funded by the European Development Fund and will run from June 2019 until November of 2022. The project is led in Sligo County Council by Michael Carty and Ray O’Grady.

Marie Brouder
Brouder Marketing
ei.gn1733968565itekr1733968565amred1733968565uorb@1733968565eiram1733968565
M: 087-9045134

Let’s Be More

Shauna Ward, Ward Automation, Chairperson of NWRA David Maxwell and CEO of Sligo Chamber of Commerce, Aidan Doyle

Shauna Ward, Ward Automation, The Chairperson of the Northern & Western Regional Assembly David Maxwell and The CEO of Sligo Chamber of Commerce, Aidan Doyle

‘Let’s Be More’ – call for a regional accelerator programme to distribute enhanced package of EU funds in West and Border

Ireland has the highest level of regional inequality amongst EU member states. As a result, a dedicated regional investment accelerator should be set-up in Ireland’s Northern and Western region to distribute the next tranche of Government and EU regional development funds.

The Government is about to decide how to spend the €1.2 billion pot of EU Cohesion Funds for the period 2021 to 2027 with €350 million allocated for the Northern and Western Region.

The Northern & Western Regional Assembly (NWRA) wants the government to give local bodies more control over how the 2021 to 2027 funds are spent – it suggests replicating a model that has been successfully rolled out in the Cornwall region of England.

Today is launches a campaign called ‘Let’s Be More’ to address inequality and economic decline in the region. ‘Let’s Be More’ is backed by elected representatives, Chambers of Commerce and regional leaders.

The Northern and Western region has been downgraded to a ‘Transition Region’ by the European Commission, resulting in a pledge to contribute €60 for every €100 invested by the Government in the next wave of regional funding. In contrast, the East and South are to get just €40 from every €100 spent by the Government.

The NWRA believes the region can do more with the money by:

Being allowed to make more localised investment decisions using a new instrument called an Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI)
Encouraging more action’ to stimulate research and innovation
Doing more to facilitate local industrial transition and entrepreneurship
Offering more SME supports and funds for urban rural regeneration.
Funding more climate-friendly innovations

The current financing mechanism is too restrictive. The NWRA says an Integrated Territorial Investment model has been successfully rolled out in Cornwall in south West England, giving people more local control and a say in investment in projects that can benefit the region. The mechanism speeds up project lead times and cuts the amount of red tape involved. An ITI focuses acutely on regional strengths and fosters much more innovation through public-private investment.

Chairperson of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly David Maxwell said this new mechanism was needed as “regional inequality in Ireland is growing.”

He said: “Our region – due to its performance – has been downgraded by the EU from ‘Developed’ to a “Transition region”. This regional divergence is set to continue. Brexit will have an undue impact on this region. The EU Commission have also documented the disproportionate economic impact that Covid-19 will have on the north and west.”

“This is hugely disappointing. Although the national economy is growing, this region’s relative growth has not kept pace creating a two-speed economy. It’s sobering reading particularly when you examine the region’s economic performance between 2015-2020. We need to start doing more”.

Maxwell stressed proven solutions, such as Cornwall, are out there for regions like ours.

“The members of the NWRA are calling on Government to apportion these funds into a region-wide accelerator. We estimate there is approximately €350m available to the region. Let’s Be More means we need ‘more action’ to stimulate research and innovation, more funding for industrial transition and entrepreneurship, SME supports, climate adaptation and urban/rural regeneration.”

David Minton, CEO of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, said the establishment of a more regionally-focused accelerator, which is a proven mechanism, would allow for greater government investment in the region’s key growth enablers.

He said: “Ireland needs all its regions performing. To address complex issues like improving sustainability alongside productivity, international evidence suggests strengthening the institutions that are close to the action, in regions, where they have the local knowledge and contacts that can improve policy implementation and bring projects to fruition”. ‘Positive Discrimination’ is a policy adopted across many EU and international economies to address regional inequality.

“The region needs additional investment to develop, for example, Galway and the region’s designated Regional Growth Centres and Key Towns to sufficient scale, improve the region’s human capital levels via its Third Level Institutes, enhance regional infrastructure that enables growth, support SMEs in rural communities and support our further education bodies. This will also underpin the digital transition that will support Industry 4.0.”

Kenny Deery, CEO of the Galway Chamber of Commerce, says the idea of a regional investment accelerator would address a legacy of underinvestment in the West and Northern regions.

He said: “For too long regional development has been top-down and centrally driven and that if we are to achieve a sustainable, productive and inclusive economy, as called for in the Programme for Government, then regions need to be empowered to develop their own economies and specialisations. A 60% co-financing rate is an incredible opportunity”.

Read or Download the Let’s Be More Campaign Booklet

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