Offaly councillor repeats IDA 'lazy' claim

THE IDA was again accused of being “lazy” by an Offaly councillor on Monday.

Cllr Tony McCormack was speaking just before council chief executive Anna Marie Delaney revealed that a leading IDA official plans to meet Offaly County Council in October.

Cllr McCormack, who was angry about the lack of progress on the implementation of a “just transition” from a peat-based economy in Offaly, repeated an attack he had made on the IDA more than a year ago.

“We've again been left on the hind tit with regard to Just Transition funding,” said the Tullamore Fianna Fail councillor.

Offaly should be the biggest recipient of funding but so far the county had got “very little”.

“It's called Just Transition and it should be just and it should be helping us in providing employment for those communities which are most affected,” said the councillor.

He noted that the IDA had supported an enterprise project for Athlone which had won grant-aid under Just Transition funding.

Recalling a meeting with IDA officials in the chamber of Offaly County Council 15 months previously, Cllr McCormack said: “I called them lazy and it made headlines that they were very upset over. I still call them lazy. They haven't done an awful lot for us since that.”

He added: “They done an awful lot of talking to us then and told us what they're going to do but they haven't done anything. It's time we got them over in front of us again and make sure they know our feelings on the amount of work they've done in bringing itineraries to Offaly.”

Cllr McCormack was supported by his Fianna Fail colleague in Tullamore, Cllr Declan Harvey.

He said of the IDA: “They talk the talk but they don't walk the walk”.

Ms Delaney told the councillors that a briefing with the IDA had been scheduled for March or April but was interrupted by Covid.

The council had reengaged with them over the past couple of months and Ken Whitelaw, the regional manager, will be coming to the October meeting of the local authority, “Covid permitting”.