Drogheda City Status Group is calling on all voters in Friday’s General Election to vote for candidates who have put city status for Drogheda at the top of their agenda.

“We would urge people to vote for those candidates in Drogheda, south Louth and east Meath who have pledged support for establishing Drogheda as a city, with its own city administration, city manager and budget,” said DCSG chairperson Anna McKenna.

“There is a real opportunity here to advance Drogheda’s case for city status and to transform it into a vibrant, modern city with proper investment and locally available jobs, education and facilities,” she added.

Over the past few weeks, DCSG met with almost all of the locally-based election candidates, urging them to push for city status for Drogheda and to place it at the top of their agenda if elected to Dáil Éireann.

“We have had strong signals from Government recognising that Drogheda is fast becoming Ireland’s newest city, but unless we have the strongest local representation in Leinster House, there is a chance that city status could slip down the priority list,” Anna said.

“All the candidates we met were very supportive of city status for Drogheda. There is a feeling here that this election provides the single best opportunity to advance Drogheda’s case and to finally recognise that Drogheda’s growth has outpaced all predictions, and yet lags behind many other major urban centres in terms of lack of investment and the political will to do the right thing,” she added.

Taoiseach Simon Harris recently said that Drogheda was a city “in all but name”, and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien announced a pledge that a “city manager” would be appointed for Drogheda.

“We have campaigned for city status for more than a decade now. Finally, we have recognition from senior Government figures that Drogheda is indeed a city. With Friday’s election, we have a golden opportunity to elect candidates who will ensure that the promises that have been made are delivered upon,” Anna concluded.

Meanwhile, Drogheda City Status Group is working on the publication of a manifesto outlining its aims, and all the benefits that city status for Drogheda would bring.