Community action is the key to progress

IF local people feel that the new arrangements for local government in Northern Ireland are failing them, they should not despair for they could resort to a measure with which they are already familiar.

Throughout the North there has been a significant development of community associations being set up in response to local social and domestic needs identified by the people themselves. For a long time this politicising of local people was the prerogative of nationalist /republican-dominated communities.

Thankfully, we are now witnessing unionist/loyalist-dominated communities - as well as those which have remained ‘mixed’ - catching up fast, to the point where they are beginning to give much needed leadership to their people on the social issues with which they are confronted.

Such community associations are now forming networks whereby different communities experiencing similar problems of social disadvantage are coming together to share ideas and experience and to learn from each other. For instance, in north Antrim, community associations will be aware of the Rural Community Network, the North Antrim Community Network and the Strategic Group of the NNHAZ (Northern Neighbourhoods Health Action Zone) which networks the many community associations under its aegis with the backing of the Northern Health and Social Services Board.

Recently, NNHAZ organised a deputation of 36 representatives of Co Antrim community associations to share viewpoints and ideas regarding social disadvantage with similar associations in Glasgow, where we spent three days on a steep learning curve.

In Northern Ireland there are many other community associations with similar potential for networking.

If each county formed a county network of community associations, the people could develop a very powerful democratic voice in determining the type of society in which they wished to live and in ensuring that this was achieved through the exercise of democratic accountability.

These observations should be grist to the mill of any lingering remnants of the community government movement which operated in the Republic under the guidance of Franklin O’Sullivan in the 1970s, and it would be interesting to make contact with them.

John Robb

59 Hopefield Ave

Portrush

Co Antrim.