A new Newry lobby group has launched to change the economic and political landscape of the city amid the upcoming government elections.
The Newry People’s Forum has been backed by local businesses and stakeholders as well as a section of the community that could now see independent candidates run for local office.
The first of its public meetings was held this week (Oct 9) with city investment and tourism key visions for the future of Newry as well as protecting medical service at Daisy Hill hospital.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), committee chairperson Brian Clelland said: “We were approached by local businesses and the wider community who are very frustrated about the current state of Newry, the lack of investment and perceived decline of the city centre.
“They wanted to know what can be done to change things and we decided to get a forum organised as the Newry People’s Forum.
“Given the packed turnout at last night’s meeting it shows that we are right about people wanting a change and a positive vision for the future.
“We got a huge response on what people want and we will be putting together a report to launch in the coming weeks to the wider public on what actions the group will now take.”
Many of the campaigners involved in the new forum stem from the ‘Newry 2020’ group formed in 2016, which was a key movement behind the development of the city’s £18m public park.
The Albert Basin park in the city centre, which is beginning to take on a physical aspect, is due to complete in 2028.
The timeframes involved in such projects has provided the new Newry People’s Forum with a vision and pathway for the future of the city including its district council chamber.
The chairperson added: “We are obviously coming into an election period and a time to influence decision makers on a long term plan.
“There have now been a lot of people talking about running independent candidates for the elections in May and that is a serious consideration.
“Other people have suggested perhaps considering withholding business and ratepayers rates.
“There are also potential plans for engaging more public events and rallies, engaging with political parties and local representatives on themes of restoring our Newry canal heritage, investing in the city centre and promoting Newry as a tourism destination.
“We will of course also be looking to support Daisy Hill hospital’s future as it is critical to maintaining the health service for local people and the investment in Newry is key to that.
“There are now a lot of people wanting to get involved so we expect to create working groups and we expect the numbers of people to go up, we will be building on this momentum.”
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