Figure 1
Wexford County Council are very pleased to welcome and support the
County Development Board Strategy `Remodelling the Model County'.
This plan has been prepared following a very wide series of public
consultations and input from all sections of the community. This
consultation process allowed the Development Board to develop a
comprehensive view of the needs of the citizens of the County over the
next ten years and to formulate strategies for the betterment of the
quality of life of our people.
These strategies were developed through consensus of all the major
stakeholders including state agencies, local government sector, local
development agencies, social partners and the community.
When the Strategy was adopted by the County Development Board, it was
ratified unanimously by the County Council. In this way, the strengths
of the participative democracy and the representational democracy
embodied in the electoral mandate of local government are brought
together to strengthen the entire process. Wexford County Council has
firmly supported the County Development Board initiative and has been
pleased to play its full part in the development of this Strategy.
The successful implementation of the Strategy will not be an easy task
however. The issues facing Wexford over the next ten years are complex
and require the sustained commitment of all relevant agencies to
ensure the right outcome. The agencies have a solid track record of
co-operative working in the past and, we consider that the County
Development Board structures provide an ideal mechanism for developing
the type of integrated response which is required in the current
environment.
The County Development Board Strategy provides an opportunity for all
public service agencies in the County to work together with the
community they serve to further develop the range of services provided
to ensure that the real needs of all citizens of the County are being
met. Wexford County Council is pleased to play its part in this
process and build on the excellent work already being done by the
public agencies across the County. Over the next ten years we must
work together to ensure that the objectives outlined in the Strategy
are realised.
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Foreword
We are very pleased to present this ten-year Strategy for the social,
economic and cultural development of Wexford.
We do so on behalf of our colleagues on the Wexford County Development
Board; on behalf of all those many people who contributed to the Strategy;
and on behalf of the CDB staff team.
Partnership working is not new to us in Wexford. We have a long and
honourable tradition in that very important area.
What the County Development Board (CDB) uniquely does however is harness
an unprecedented range of supports and resources in a common cause
the advantage of Wexford and its people. Making Wexford better
is a complex process, calling on many different agencies; organisations;
and individuals.
The CDB lies at the heart of this process, providing a framework within
which the plans and strategies can be knitted together.
Our role is not to do others' planning for them. It is rather to ensure
that in Wexford we have an appropriate "family of plans"
that both complement each other and address critical areas of need.
We are of course not short of work to do in Wexford. In some ways
much of Ireland's recent prosperity has not reached many parts of
Wexford. There is a huge task to be undertaken in order to facilitate
the successful transition of Wexford's economy and society to meet
future needs.
This is reflected in the active language used in our strategy. It
was not just prepared for the sake of it. We will put it to
use, largely as follows:
- by developing a series of detailed action and implementation
plans
- by using it to inform other strategies and plans
that will impact on Wexford
- by using it as a basis for continued discussion
with all interested parties, to make
sure it reflects emerging issues.
The publication of our Strategy is significant
for our County. But it is now that our real work begins. Tús
maith leath na hoibre ... but good start or not, it is just the start.
Let's now make sure we finish the job!
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