Funding to the tune of €380,000 will be made available to Wexford County Council for distribution to communities of populations of less than 5,000, and also some funds available for towns and villages with 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants, following the launch of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme for Rural Ireland.

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphries, allocated €10 million for the entire country, which many feel is totally inadequate and a pittance!

But Paul Kehoe, TD, Minister with responsibility for the Defence Forces, is supportive of the plan and claims this fund is available to Local Authorities to support the revitalisation of rural towns and villages across Ireland.

“In total €380,000 will be available to Wexford and I urge the County Council to apply for the full allocation of funds available, in order to ensure that communities and businesses in the county can benefit fully from this initiative, said Minister Kehoe.

Full story in this week’s Echo Group of Newspapers.