Policies to bring back vibrancy to our small towns

As somebody who grew up in a remote area in rural Waterford, I have watched with despondency as the Irish countryside has become increasingly denuded of economic activity, social vibrancy and young people.

A couple of years ago, I was in a pub in San Francisco and counted over 15 people from my small parish.

None of the 15, to my knowledge, was there due to a lack of economic opportunity, but rather out of a desire to live in a large vibrant city and enjoy the many attributes that flow from that.

It is hard for any rural area to compete. Large cities provide a strong natural draw for young people as they offer excitement and opportunity .

From an employment perspective, most large employers need to locate in larger cities to avail of the better infrastructure and, more importantly, an adequate supply of labour. It is much easier to get a young person to work in a large town or city than in a small town or isolated rural area.

It is important to pursue policies that seek to make rural areas and small towns attractive places in which to live, create employment and work. But it makes no sense to suggest that the IDA should seek to create employment in every small town in the country.

Rather, it makes sense to pursue policies that will result in the development of a few large centres of economic activity, for example Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford.

There is no reason why workers should not live in neighbouring towns and rural areas and commute to the centres of activity.

The real trick is to pursue policies that make smaller towns attractive places in which to to live.

The list should include public parks and amenities; restaurants; public services such as education, primary medical care facilities, a post office and a Garda station; a strong IT infrastructure; a diversified retail offering; and high quality housing.

Intervention by policymakers is required and the package of measures introduced by government this week should be welcomed, albeit the monetary investment is a bit on the low side.

But official intervention cannot achieve everything. Locals need to realise the importance of supporting local businesses, which in turn will support employment and maintain vibrant towns.