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    Tuesday 7 September 2010

    22 jobs go at Westport factory

    Very upset to hear of the loss of 22 jobs at Skretting Ireland plant at Westport Quay.  The closure will be a serious blow to the locality, which already has a seriously high unemployment rate.  

    Still the Government fiddle while Rome burns!  Putting the 500,000 unemployed to work for their dole is not the answer, the answer is to create proper jobs for those half a million people so they are no longer unemployed!

    4 comments:

    Daithí Ó Cuiv said...

    Keith would you be able to lobby Skretting to take their ugly factory with them when they move?

    It is one ugly eyesore that should never have received planning permission and can be seen from all around Clew Bay.

    Cllr Keith Martin said...

    The reason it received planning permission in the first place was because it promised job creation in a time when the Quay's were little more than ruins. Times have changed and I will be using my role on the council to ensure that Roman Island is used as an area for leisure tourism in conjunction with the marina. It is an eyesore but it will be with us for some years to come I'm afraid!

    Daithí Ó Cuiv said...

    Good man Keith! We need to get the marina underway soon - attract some multi-millionaires, get Westport booming again!

    I personally am a fan of Marina Frapa in Croatia if you need some ideas to mould the Westport model on!

    Cllr Keith Martin said...

    The Marina would cost about €3 million probably less at the moment, €1 million has already been spent on surveys, plans, sea lanes etc.

    I think it would pay for itself very quickly and would extend the town's tourism season and increase greatly the number of visitors.

    Its construction would create jobs and its management would require one or two full time positions.

    Businesses at the Quay would have to unify and lobby hard as would town council but unfortunately everyone seems to have lost interest in it.

    There are so many demands on council time and money it is hard to focus energy everywhere but until Quay unites in its drive for it, it is, at best, a medium to long term project.

    Fingers crossed. One only has to see what the Greenway is doing for tourism to see the potential for a marina and marine leisure area at the Quay.