McAleer urges Rural communities to engage in €1Billion fund consultation

By The Newsroom
Published 14th Mar 2021, 08:37 BST
Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer has welcomed the launch by the SEUPB (Special EU Programmes Body) of a consultation on PEACE Plus- the €1bn programme for peace and reconciliation and has called on communities and groups to have their voice heard.

Mr McAleer said: “I welcome the progress that has been made in bringing the next chapter of PEACE to fruition and I call on the public and all interested bodies to have their voice heard. Having a good deal of experience of the benefits of EU funded projects in local areas, I can attest to how beneficial the funding is for local communities. This is a substantial fund covering all of Ulster along with the counties of Sligo, Leitrim and Louth and I believe that local communities should decide how it is spent.

“PEACE has been a huge force for good and now, with the damaging impact of Brexit and no progress on the UK Shared prosperity Fund that was supposed to replace lost EU funding, it is essential that we get this programme right.

“The consultation runs until May 12th and has six suggested themes: Building Peaceful and Thriving Communities, Delivering Economic Regeneration and Transformation, Empowering and Investing in our young people, Healthy and Inclusive Communities, Supporting a Sustainable and Better Connected Future, and Building and Embedding Partnership and Collaboration. I urge all bodies and interested people to engage with the consultation process.”

To respond to the consultation and for more details, log on to on www.seupb.eu/peaceplus

Related topics:Declan McAleerSinn Fein

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