Bill offers ‘historic opportunity’ to tackle regional inequality, says MLA
SDLP MLA Sinéad McLaughlin has proposed the Regional Balance Bill to ensure areas such as Londonderry do not continue to ‘miss out’.
An MLA has introduced a Bill at Stormont which she said offers an “historic opportunity” to address regional inequality.
SDLP MLA Sinéad McLaughlin’s Regional Balance Bill proposes a legal duty be placed on the Executive to establish a framework to address longstanding economic disparities between different regions of Northern Ireland.
She introduced the Bill to the Assembly on Monday, describing a “significant milestone in the campaign to tackle regional inequality and rebalance Northern Ireland’s economy”.
The proposed Regional Balance Strategic Framework would require all Executive departments to have due regard to that framework when developing policies, strategies and public services, and would create an annual accountability mechanism to measure and evaluate progress.
Ms McLaughlin said she believes the legislation “offers the Assembly a historic opportunity to rebalance our economy once and for all”.
“For too long, regional balance has been an afterthought across government,” she said.
“As a result, communities across Northern Ireland, particularly places like Derry, have lost out.
“Despite repeated promises to spread opportunity more fairly, they have been left behind by successive governments.”
Ms McLaughlin said her Bill is “about changing that”.
“It will place regional balance at the heart of government decision-making across departments and create annual accountability for the first time,” she said.
“Too often, regional balance has been spoken about as an aspiration.
“This legislation seeks to turn it into an obligation.
“This Bill is about a fairer economy, where every community has a decent chance to succeed.
“Whether you live in Derry, Newry, Omagh, Enniskillen, Coleraine or Belfast, you should be able to access the opportunities needed to build a good life.
“Putting regional balance into law across our government will help us to deliver on that promise.
“I look forward to working with colleagues from across the Assembly in the months ahead to pass this legislation and ensure that regional balance becomes the law of the land.”