Republican News · Thursday 13 March 1997

A vision for West Belfast

A community-led jobs task force with a commitment to equality of treatment, a fully funded development agency, resources to construct new industrial estates, protection for existing local resources and finally an arts, cultural, heritage and tourism development initiative. These are all part of Sinn Féin's ``economic blueprint'' for West Belfast, published this week.

Gerry Adams, along with economic spokerperson on Belfast City Council Máirtín O Muilleoir and Councillor Annie Armstrong, attended the launch.

Adams, launching the document, said, ``Our core demand for a jobs task force for West Belfast is one which was made in the 1988 Obair report, commissioned and drawn up by local community activists and republicans'.

``Ten years after the Obair report was commissioned, West Belfast is still grappling with a jobs crisis. Gains made in forcing the Department of Economic Development to deliver more resources to West Belfast have been offset by a series of economic bodyblows,'' he said.

These included their refusal to green-light the University of Ulster Plan for Springvale, the rundown of the RVH, the axing of 500 ACE posts as well as cuts in the education, healthcare and Making Belfast Work budgets.

The Sinn Féin blueprint involves over £100 million in infrastructural investment being made available for projects in the area. The document compares this with the £1.3 billion pumped into East Belfast to prepare Harland and Wolff and Shorts for privatisation as well as the £750 million public and private investment in Laganside. The document calls for equality of treatment of West Belfast in the provision of future funding.

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