Govt 'don't promote Longford', claims Chamber of Commerce, after news of job losses

Longford is not being prioritised by the Government or the IDA when it comes to jobs, according to the President of Longford Chamber of Commerce, Derek Scanlon.

He was reacting to the news about job losses at Cameron yesterday.

Staff at Cameron found out yesterday that the company will close its manufacturing operations by Christmas, blaming a downturn in the global oil and gas sector.

Mr Scanlon says Longford has been left behind.

He said: "In 2015, there were only two visits to the county where a county like Westmeath got 28 visits, so there is a disparity there between the two counties immediately.

"In addition to that, there seems to be no regional focus, the Government has focus on specific towns, but if you were to ask somebody from the IDA how they promote somewhere like Longford town, they would tell you they don't promote Longford at all.

"They don't promote the region and therefore Longford gets lost."

Peter Burke, the local Fine Gael deputy for Longford and Westmeath, has confirmed he is due to meet privately with Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connell this morning.

He has also spoken with Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar and representatives of the IDA and Enterprise Ireland.

Labour deputy for Longford-Westmeath, Willie Penrose, has expressed solidarity with workers, saying efforts must be made to ensure that job losses are minimised, and that those whose jobs are under threat are given the help they need to find new employment as soon as possible.