Ministers accused of failing to deliver on regional growth

THE National Spatial Strategy launched one year ago to promote regional development has failed to deliver, a leading economist claimed yesterday.

Dr Eoin O'Leary accused the Government of paying lip service to regional development and being more concerned with scoring local political points than having any real strategy to deal with the changing economic climate.

"The strategy has failed to deliver real regional growth because it is a top down policy the Government must give power and responsibility to the regions to develop their own destiny," Dr O'Leary said.