Sinn Féin general election candidate Cllr. Conor D. McGuinness has said that Dungarvan must be prioritised for community, transport and regeneration funding given the lack of investment in the town over the past decade.
He said the town had ‘lost out due to a lack of political clout’, and promised to champion Dungarvan at national level if elected to Dáil Éireann.
McGuinness said:
“Dungarvan is an outlier when compared with towns of a similar size. It is the county town of Waterford and serves its own significant population and that of a large rural hinterland.
“Our town has no community centre, no public swimming pool, and no public toilet facilities. West Waterford is the only region in the state without a family resource centre. While the IDA refuses to break down its figures by local electoral area, we can see from their county figures that Waterford is bottom of the list. While Local Link has made added new routes over the years, there is a real demand for a town service, linking residents of Dungarvan’s residential areas with the town centre – similar to services now operating in Clonmel and Youghal.
“Dungarvan has been overlooked over the past decade due to a lack of political clout at national level. It is ten years since Dungarvan last had a TD, and many would argue that the town hasn’t had a champion at national level since the late Austin Deasy’s time.
“I recently secured a commitment from Waterford City and County Council that Dungarvan would be the focus of its next regeneration funding application under the URDF, however such an application will need strong political support at national level .
“We also need a local TD that will prioritise transport funding in the county, and that will champion applications for capital investment in community facilities, and large-scale grants for swimming, athletics and local sports clubs.
“I am asking the people of Dungarvan and West Waterford to elect a TD that lives here, knows the issues and will stand up for our communities each and every day.”
Conor D. McGuinness TD 