Local infrastructure, housing, and supports for older people were just some of the issues discussed by Galway County Council’s new Cathaoirleach and Tánaiste Simon Harris, when they met in Government Buildings last week.

The Tánaiste, along with all of his senior Ministers, met with the eleven Fine Gael Councillors who have recently been elected as the first citizen of their county.

And Turloughmore Councillor David Collins, who was elected as Cathaoirleach in June, used the opportunity to outline his main priorities for his term of office.

“I was honoured to have been appointed to this role and was grateful to An Tánaiste Simon Harris and the Fine Gael Ministers for meeting Councillors to discuss what we intend to deliver throughout our terms,” Cllr Collins said.

“Delivery of infrastructure is a huge priority of mine to ensure that Galway continues to thrive. I want to see the inclusion of the Claregalway relief road in the National Development Plan and to see development of the former Galway Airport site. This is crucial for furthering economic growth for the area.

“Ramping up the supply of affordable housing must be prioritised. I discussed with the Tánaiste the need for more land acquisition by the Council so there are more affordable houses in our towns and villages.

“It’s also important that we look at how we can support older people. I want to see retirement villages prioritised to allow people to downsize and still remain in their communities as they grow older.

“I want to see further expansion of the Safe Routes to School Programme. There is a clear demand across the county to have all schools involved in the scheme, so we need to see further investment so children across the county can get to school safely.

“I look forward to the term ahead and working with my colleagues to deliver for the people of Galway,” Cllr Collins concluded.

Tánaiste Simon Harris said he was delighted to meet with Cllr David Collins, to have an opportunity to talk about his plans for his term in office as first citizen of Galway County Council.

“We had an opportunity to discuss things like housing delivery, the road network, how we invest more in our infrastructure, improving services for people with a disability, and also how we support our small and medium enterprises,” he said.

“I really appreciated David’s time, his insights, and very much look forward to working with him and with all the Fine Gael team in terms of delivering for Galway and helping assist him in any way that I can during his term in office,” he added.

Pictured: Councillor David Collins with Tánaiste Simon Harris at Government Buildings.