In a welcome shift from the dispiriting tone of British government announcements in recent days, Derry and Strabane has been given a welcome injection of good news.
A multimillion pound city and growth deal was officially signed off yesterday, just days after the Labour administration appeared to signal that the investment package was off the table.
That impression gathered momentum last Friday - which secretary of state Hilary Benn seems to have believed was a good day to bury bad news - as backing for the redevelopment of Casement Park for Euro 2028 was withdrawn and a public inquiry into the murder of Bellaghy GAA official and father of six Sean Brown ruled out.
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Four city deals were also caught up in the wave of negativity, with the Treasury saying it was pausing funding while it carried out a spending review. With prime minister Keir Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves seemingly intent on embracing the discredited austerity agenda of the charlatan Conservatives, it wasn’t hard to imagine that the pause could easily become permanent.
This caused alarm in Derry and Strabane as well as Belfast, where work was well advanced on the deals. There has not yet been the same progress in two other areas, Causeway Coast and Glens and Mid South West.
After some confusion, which the British government should guard against lest it becomes a habit in how it communicates, it became clear that the Derry and Strabane and the Belfast deals were in fact not affected.
The Derry and Strabane deal has now been sealed. Mr Benn, along with First Minister Michelle O’Neill, Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, finance minister Caoimhe Archibald and Derry City and Strabane mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr put pen to paper at the Guildhall on a package worth almost £300 million.
It has taken cross-party support, private sector backing and collaboration to make the city deal a reality. We need to see more of this as we seek to build a better society
A medical school and an innovation centre for Ulster University in the city will benefit from the scheme, with Strabane town centre earmarked for redevelopment and new museum at Ebrington.
Ms Seenoi-Barr, herself an example of so much that can be positive in our politics, said the deal had the potential to create 6,000 new jobs.
Reaching this stage has been far from straightforward. Just as it is correct to criticise and hold politicians and others to account when they get things wrong, it is also important to acknowledge and pay tribute when things go well.
As Ms Seenoi-Barr pointed out, it has taken cross-party support, private sector backing and collaboration to make the city deal a reality. The Black Mountain Shared Space which officially opened in Belfast yesterday is another example of what is possible. We need more of this as we seek to build a better society for all.
