ROSS OUTLINES RURAL EFFORTS 

East Antrim MLA Alastair Ross has said that the rural community in Northern Ireland must have the Assembly working for them, and has highlighted some of the things that his Party has been doing since devolution was restored last year.

Speaking from his Larne Office Mr Ross said,  

“Many of us represent constituencies with large rural populations, and it is important that the needs of these communities are not forgotten at Stormont. Advancing the interests of the rural community in Northern Ireland has always been a top priority for the Democratic Unionist Party.  

The immense scale of the challenges facing rural communities should not be underestimated, ranging from problems with accessing childcare through to issues around post office closures, environmental protection and rural planning, PPS 14 in particular.  

The DUP in government has advanced the agenda of our rural communities further than ever before. In the Programme for Government and the Budget drawn up by the now First Minister Peter Robinson, £45million was allocated to improve competitiveness in the agricultural sector: £10million for modernising farms and a firm target has been set to increase the number of people working in the agri-food sector by almost 5,000.  

Rural communities form the back-bone of society here in the Province. The DUP recognises this and will continue to work hard to ensure devolution delivers for them. 

We have produced a leaflet for anyone interested in reading over our policy positions, and this is available from my offices in Carrickfergus and Larne. Anyone interested should contact me either by post, email (info@alastairross.org) or telephone (9332 9980).” 

READ THE DUP 'WORKING FOR YOU AT STORMONT' PDF