Deprivation concerns

The Drumnamoe, Woodville and Court areas of Lurgan were ranked at 31, 92 and 99 respectively while the Drumgask and Drumgor areas of Brownlow were ranked at 34 and 55 respectively.

This has prompted Sinn Fein MLA, John O’Dowd, to call on Craigavon Council and the Department for Social Development to review their policies in order to combat this.

He said: “These latest figures have revealed that 10,000 residents residing within the Craigavon Borough are rated as living within the most deprived 100 out of 890 areas within the north of Ireland. This is an unacceptable indictment of the Council’s policy for development of the Borough and the reduction of deprivation. Action has to be taken immediately to rectify this situation.”

The Sinn Fein Assembly Member acknowledged that much good work had been carried out in the Borough by Local Community Development Officers working in conjunction with residents' groups, but stressed the need for a long term, consistent strategy between Council and the relevant Assembly Departments to solve the problem.

He said: “It is ironic that on the very day these figures were released, community groups from the deprived areas were informed that Local Community Funding, specifically aimed at alleviating deprivation within their areas, would no longer be funded by the Department of Social Development.

“I would call on Minister Ritchie to rethink her policy for the incoming year and ensure that monies are available for deprivation-relief projects.”

Mr O’Dowd also questioned the decision to spend over 100,000 out of the reserves on celebrating the 400th anniversary of the purchase by the Brownlow family of a land grant in the Lurgan area.

He said: “While there is merit in celebrating the local history of the area, this was after all a commercial deal, with the sole motivation of gaining wealth for the parties involved and is a much less worthy cause than the relief of poverty amongst the current residents of Craigavon.

“This money could be better used in funding projects that would encourage economic development and create much needed jobs within the area.”