Economic Development \ The economic regeneration of Newry and Mourne \ Newry & Mourne Socio-Economic Forum

Newry & Mourne Socio-Economic Forum

The local Newry & Mourne District Council has established in 2000 a Socio-Economic Forum comprising all the socio-economic organisations in the Newry and Mourne area. The Chairman of the Socio-Economic Forum is Mr Conor Patterson. The Forum has a strategy team and three regional Action Groups, namely:

• Newry Economic Development Action Team - Chairman: Mr Feargal McCormack;

• South Down Economic Development Action Team - Chairman: Mr Patrick Kelly; and

• South Armagh Economic Development Action Team - Chairman: currently vacant.

Newry and Mourne Socio-Economic Forum has evolved from the former Economic Forum, as a means of developing partnership within Newry and Mourne District and establishing external linkages with comparable organisations elsewhere.

The Forum brings together the public, private and voluntary and community sector and it has become one of the main vehicles by which those involved in social and economic development in Newry and Mourne can work together to improve co-ordination, share information and develop strategies.

The Forum identified the need for a strategic vision for the District for the period to 2006. It invited proposals from consultants to facilitate a series of workshops to articulate the main elements of the needs and opportunities, which should be addressed in the strategic vision.

The workshops were held with:

• South Armagh & South Down Leader Group (24 April 2001)
• South Armagh Action Team (8 May 2001)
• South Down Action Team (8 May 2001)
• Newry Town Action Team (9 May 2001)
• The Newry and Mourne District Partnership (10 May 2001)
• Representatives of the voluntary and community sector (9 May 2001)
• Representatives of the statutory sector (10 May 2001)

Local Councillors were consulted through the Area Action Teams and through the Leader Group and District Partnership consultations.

A special meeting of the District Development Committee of the Council is to be held on Monday 25 June 2001, to discuss the process.

At about the same time as the Forum was commissioning the workshops, final details of the proposals for the new Local Strategy Partnerships which are to be established in each District Council area in Northern Ireland became available.

The workshops provided an opportunity to discuss and explain these requirements and their practical implications for Newry and Mourne as well as providing participants with an overview of future EU funding for Northern Ireland.