Debate contribution: Regional Imbalance

Debate contribution by Ms Claire Sugden on 6 October 2025.

MLA

Ms Claire Sugden

Party at the time

Independent

Date

6 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Regional Imbalance

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5157275

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I support the motion, because regional imbalance is one of the most serious barriers to opportunity across Northern Ireland. This summer, a member of the Invest NI board resigned, stating that the organisation was failing to deliver genuine regional balance, particularly for the north-west. That resignation was a clear signal that the problem runs deeper than process or policy; it is a mindset. It is not perception; it is culture. It reflects that decision-making still defaults to Belfast first and everywhere else after, if at all. As others have said, when discussion turns to the north-west, attention often centres on Derry city. I know that those who tabled the motion mean it sincerely and constructively. However, like others, I want to speak for the wider north-west and north coast and, indeed, every part of Northern Ireland beyond Belfast, because that is where regional imbalance is felt most sharply. Coleraine, Limavady, Ballykelly, Garvagh and rural communities in between: those are the areas that are often bypassed when investment decisions are made. My constituency of East Londonderry is in a policy blind spot, not because of distance but because of direction. Northern Ireland is a small place. You can travel between its furthest points in two to three hours, so geography is not a barrier; connectivity is. When transport links, digital infrastructure and investment pipelines all flow inward to Belfast, opportunity cannot spread outward. Until we fix those connections — physical, digital and economic — we will never achieve real regional balance. The issue is not how far we are from Belfast; it is how far decision-making is from everywhere else. The Department for the Economy's subregional economic plan confirms that reality. As Mr Brett said, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area has one of the lowest shares of good jobs in Northern Ireland and among the lowest median wages. That is not a coincidence; it is the result of years of underinvestment in infrastructure, skills and enterprise. Yet, East Londonderry, like other constituencies, is a place of opportunity, with a world-class university campus; expertise in life sciences; renewable energy potential; thriving small businesses; and the strongest tourism brand across the UK and Ireland. Potential is not our problem; political attention is. Announcements alone will not change that. Yes, we have seen the growth deal, and we are optimistic, but it is being delivered slowly. We have seen investment frameworks with no subregional targets. Meanwhile, economic inactivity remains high, wages are stagnant and too many young people are leaving the north coast for their futures. East Londonderry has one of the strongest political representations in local government and at Westminster, yet, despite that level of access and influence, our constituency continues to record some of the poorest outcomes in Northern Ireland. It has among the highest inactivity rates and deepest deprivation and some of the lowest pay levels across the region. That should concern every Member of every constituency, because, if a constituency with that level of representation falls that far behind, something in the system is not working. I appreciate that the problems did not appear overnight. They have taken years to build up, but the same parties have held power for most of that time. They have had the opportunity to fix them. While the imbalance is long-standing, the failure to correct it is not inevitable; it is a choice. It is not one Department's problem. Every Department —.

Yes. Go ahead.

573 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:26 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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