The Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) have appointed Cllr Winston Bennett, Cavan County Council as Chairperson and Cllr Robert Turner, Armagh City and District Council as Vice-Chairperson at their recent AGM.
ICBAN was established in 1995 as a network of councillors from the central Ireland/Northern Ireland border area with one common aim: to respond to the unique economic and social needs of the central border region and has since been instrumental in doing so through strategic ‘Joined Up Thinking’ and practically through the disbursement of EU Funds and implementation of a range of cross-border development projects.
The past year has seen ICBAN bringing the INTERREG IIIA programme to a close and also receiving confirmation that up to 17 of the projects submitted under INTERREG IVA being initially approved, valued between €15-20 million. Outside of it’s EU INTERREG role, the organisation undertook an extensive review of Corporate Governance and implemented the recommended best practice actions. ICBAN also continued pushing it’s strategic development work through the Roads to Opportunity and Social Inclusion working groups and through establishing working groups on Telecommunications and on Sustainability.
The year ahead promises to be a busy one; with the first approvals for INTERREG IVA projects, the re-launching of the ICBAN Network of Councillors and the hosting of a border-corridor conference on Telecommunications. ICBAN also looks forward to the development of closer working relationships with its member Councils; the completion of a new Corporate Plan and the commencement of an exciting new Spatial Plan and Visioning exercise for the region. ICBAN will also undertake an intense programme of lobbying governments both North and South on key cross-border developmental and infrastructure issues.
At the AGM held on Wednesday 21st October in the Omagh District Council Offices; Cllr Bennett thanked the Management Board of ICBAN and in accepting his new position, acknowledged the sterling work that has been undertaken by the organization over the past year whilst looking forward to having new projects that will benefit the cross-border region receive funding from the European Union’s INTERREG IVA Programme, up and running on the ground in the near future.
Cllr Bennett is no stranger to cross-border working and indeed his new partnership with Cllr Turner is one that stretches back to 1994. The pair first became firm friends having joined forces on a cross-border agricultural group, linking Cavan with Armagh and together undertook a series of good practice visits. Having lost touch 4 or 5 years ago, the Councilors renewed their friendship when Cllr Bennett joined Cllr Turner on the Management Board of ICBAN and both now look forward to a close working relationship in their new respective roles.
Outgoing Chairperson, Cllr Frankie Donnelly, Omagh District Council, in his final speech noted;
“Looking to the future, we in ICBAN must remember to think regional. We come to the position as locally elected representatives and while thinking and acting locally is our main interests and work, when we gather together in ICBAN we should remember that in thinking and acting regionally, we can then benefit our local Council areas. ICBAN is a partnership vehicle which can add real value to the work of our Councils.”
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Caption 1: Cllr Winston Bennett and Cllr Robert Turner, new Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of ICBAN
For further information contact:
Roisin McManus,
Communications Officer, ICBAN
roisin@icban.com
04866 340717
