Drogheda has yet again been given the fingers by the Government this week, Drogheda City Status
Group (DCSG) has said.
- DCSG condemns Government for giving Drogheda the two fingers again
- ‘No new cities’ announcement flies in the face of the evidence in Drogheda
- D Hotel decision another kick in the teeth for Ireland’s newest city
- No DEIS PLUS for Drogheda Schools
The city of Drogheda, long neglected by local and national government, received not one, not two
but three kicks in the teeth this week, firstly with the announcement by the Government that no
large Irish town will be given city status for the foreseeable future, secondly, with the decision that
the D Hotel will continue to be used as an IPAS centre and thirdly by failing to allocate any Deis Plus
designations to any schools in Drogheda.
“The appalling neglect and abuse of Drogheda continues,” said DCSG chair Anna McKenna. “We have
presented a very strong case to the Government, backed by data and hard evidence, that Drogheda
is now a city. They continue to ignore this evidence and Drogheda continues to be abandoned just
when we need substantial investment and autonomy.” “We are being treated woefully by the Government, despite the fact that Drogheda is the fastest-growing urban area on the island of Ireland,” said Anna.
“Drogheda is Ireland’s fourth-largest urban area by population, and yet continues to be run remotely
like a small town. Drogheda gets just €110 per person in infrastructure funding, while Ireland’s cities
receive €435 per person. The evidence of the neglect of Drogheda is there for all to see. We have
huge traffic problems, lack of infrastructure, no large-scale job creation here for decades, and a
massive problem with dereliction.” “We cannot stand for this abuse and negligence any longer,” she added.
The campaign for city status for Drogheda, and the establishment of a city administration here, has
been going on since 2010, but has gained considerable momentum in recent months. “Just this week, DCSG has launched a new initiative called ‘Drogheda City Now’ (www.droghedacitynow.com) – a community-led campaign bringing residents, businesses, and local partners together to secure full city status, and to act like a city while we work on it,” said Anna.
One of the ideas being pursued by DCSG is the establishment of a “shadow city council”, an
assembly or local parliament, which would show how Drogheda should be run.
“It is clear to us that there is a lack of political will locally and nationally to formally recognise Drogheda’s reality, and that Drogheda is being treated as a dormitory city for Dublin and a convenient solution to the nation’s housing crisis. Hundreds of houses are being built, but little else in terms of infrastructure, facilities and job creation hubs. The Government has made empty promises in relation to city status, and they continue to try to fob us off with promises of a restored Borough Council, which in DCSG’s view falls far short of what Drogheda actually needs.”
Just last month, DCSG representatives met Minister of State John Cummins in the Dáil to impress
upon him the long-term abandonment of Drogheda. Previously, leading Government figures such as
Micheál Martin, Simon Harris and Minister Darragh O’Brien all acknowledged that Drogheda is a city,
but they have done nothing to give us our own autonomy and the opportunity to properly plan our
future as Drogheda expands massively.
“The people of Drogheda must stand up and say ‘enough is enough’. We demand action, not empty
promises,” Anna concluded.
