The Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Barry McElduff has been reflecting on 2022 and on his term in office to date. He outlined these reflections below and also highlighted his hopes for 2023.

One of the great privileges of being Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is the opportunity to meet people.

In my seven months as Cathaoirleach, I have met many people and many groups across the Omagh District and throughout County Fermanagh.

Whether it is sport, business, culture or other disciplines, our people are highly talented and have so much to offer.

Skyzdalimit had stellar year in 2022

Perhaps the greatest thrill for me personally has been working closely with Skyzdalimit, the Omagh-based theatre company for people with learning differences.

They had an absolutely stellar year and conquered The Helix Theatre in Dublin, The Waterfront in Belfast as well our own Strule Arts Centre.

It was brilliant to see the reaction of the audiences when they performed their musical at the front and centre of our theatres. The quality of their acting, dancing and singing was top drawer.

I was also delighted to meet representatives of Bright Stars in Enniskillen, as well as other Special Olympians and Mencap service users at different points in the year. Social Inclusion is so important.

Omagh Music Heritage Trail

2022 was the inaugural year of the Omagh Music Heritage Trail and I also took great pride in being part of the development of it majoring so far on our rich Showbands history and heritage.

The fact we had the three surviving members of the Plattermen (Pat, Ray and Leo) on our Music Heritage Trail Working Group was such a pleasure and gave this particular project real authenticity.

Engaging with people

Looking back, I pioneered two initiatives aimed at increasing communication and interaction with people: Tea with the Chair, and 7 District Electoral Area (DEA) Tours.

I know the Omagh area quite well, as you might know, but these initiatives involved bringing people into The Townhall in Enniskillen as well as The Grange in Omagh for dialogue.

I enjoyed meeting An Taoiseach, the respective Consuls of China and the United States, French visitors to Drumquin as well as Mayors and Chairs from other Councils.

I have enjoyed even more opening up doors and creating opportunities for local people to better understand how their Council works and how it might be able to help them.

I have enjoyed hosting many groups and individuals as well as being in a position to officially recognise their achievements.

In the past seven months, I have travelled widely and engaged with the most interesting people who had significant things to say about the cost of living, our health service, the cost of doing business and various community strengths.

The island town of Enniskillen and the rural parts of Fermanagh are now much more familiar to me. It has been a real privilege to discover the county, a close-up opportunity which would not have come my way otherwise.

The A5 and retention of Health services are major priorities

I want to emphasise the Council's total commitment to the A5 Western Transport Corridor and to encourage local people to actively make their voices heard on this crucial infrastructural issue which is a matter of life and death for our people.

In addition, the people of Fermanagh and the wider Council area, including Omagh and rural Tyrone are exercised by the threat to services at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) in Enniskillen and by a crisis in GP service provision.

All of us have been fighting this battle together and need to maintain our vigilance. The health and wellbeing of our residents is key, therefore, fighting to maintain our health service is a huge priority for the Council. Another critical campaign is for a new-build Acute mental health unit in Omagh.

Welcoming our refugees and newcomers

I have worked closely with Syrian and Ukrainian refugees, great people who have experienced tremendous trauma and who are building up their lives again in our midst. It has been a privilege to hear their story and to host receptions for them.

Wellbeing

My chosen theme for my term as Chair was ‘wellbeing’. This is a wide-ranging topic of overarching importance to us all. On the Chair’s social media pages, I have used #WellbeingWednesday to highlight health matters and support services to provide residents in our District with themes and suitable signposting.

Success

In June 2022, Gortin Glens Forest Park was awarded the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Planning Excellence Award for Health and Wellbeing.

Enniskillen was awarded Best Kept Town and Best Kept Town Overall in Ireland. Both Omagh and Enniskillen also received recognition in regional Best Kept Awards.

These awards are testament to the dedication and work of our staff and the partnership working with our community groups and business partners. I gained a real insight into this work when visiting Gortrush and Killyvilly Depots this year and by speaking to village orderlies, members of the street cleansing teams and staff at various recycling centres.

Cost of Living

The cost-of-living crisis is impacting on everyone with significant increases in the cost of food, fuel, energy and other costs. It was right and proper that the Council introduced a suite of initiatives to the value of £250,000 to support those most in need in our District through groups such as St. Vincent de Paul, Foodbanks, Omagh Independent Advice Services, Community Advice Fermanagh, Easilink and Fermanagh Community Transport.

Cost of doing business

Our businesses are also experiencing serious challenges as a result of rising costs and the risk of downturn in trade due to people having less disposable income. All businesses are the lifeblood of our towns and villages and it is important that where and when possible we continue to support our local businesses to ensure our towns and villages remain vibrant.

Challenges

The Council itself has not been immune to the cost of living and cost of doing business. This, along with unbudgeted costs due to industrial negotiations, has placed significant pressure on the Council’s finances requiring difficult decisions to be made to ensure that core services can continue to be delivered. If I was not such a close witness to what is going on there, I would not fully understand the scale of this challenge.

Enhancing the District

I am pleased to see ongoing capital investment across the Council area to ensure it is enhanced for the benefit of our residents today and in the future. As an Omagh Town Councillor, I was delighted to have the opportunity to officially open the new Destination Play Park at Grange Park. This is an excellent facility for families and encourages our young people to be outdoors and active.

Hopes

My hopes for 2023 are to continue learning in the spirit of every day being a school day. Also, to keep providing a platform for people so that their voices can be heard.

We all need easement from the cost-of-living crisis situation which has engulfed us. The energy payments of £600 per household should have been processed much earlier but now need to come through in a matter of weeks at the latest.

I trust that the Council can continue to deliver a high standard of services to our residents in the face of huge financial challenges.

It also needs to keep listening to the people about how to do things as well as possible.

In January, I plan to take an initiative and bring together Council representatives with Business and Community organisations. This will focus on our collective efforts in relation to agreeing milestone dates and seasonal events in 2023.

I believe that Councils have a duty to deliver core functions and put a smile on people's faces where it can.

Working together we should set out to create the future for the betterment of all our people. "