Invest NI 'beyond ridiculous' - Cllr Rory Farrell

The performance of Invest NI across Derry and Strabane has been described as "beyond ridiculous" by Derry City and Strabane District councillor Rory Farrell (SDLP).

Invest NI is the North's economic development agency.

Cllr Farrell said statistics released by Invest NI’s Corporate Information Team revealed that in the 2021/22 year, financial assistance from the organisation supported the creation of 67 jobs across the council area.

Speaking at Council’s Business and Culture committee, the Ballyarnett representative said: "In the last financial year across Derry & Strabane, Invest NI supported the creation of 67 jobs. And if we look at Belfast City Council, they supported the creation of 1,657 jobs. 

"So for every job Invest NI supported in Derry and Strabane, it has supported 25 in Belfast.

"If we look at the 11 councils across the north, Derry and Strabane is the third lowest. Only Mid & East Antrim and Ards and North Down have lower job creation figures.

"And if we look at the 3,000 jobs that were created across the north last year, only two per cent were in our council area - so 98 percent of that total went elsewhere. So, it's getting beyond ridiculous at this stage.”

Cllr Farrell said Invest NI needed to come to the Business and Culture committee to tell us what it is going to do to support job creation, to support local businesses and to pump investment into this city and district, because what they are doing now clearly is not working.”