Debate contribution: Regional Imbalance

Debate contribution by Mr Mark Durkan on 6 October 2025.

MLA

Mr Mark Durkan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

6 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Regional Imbalance

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5157301

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The motion goes to the heart of something that we in the north-west have been saying for years and that many Members here have been hearing for years, which is that regional imbalance is not an accident. It has been baked into decision-making at every level of government for a long time, and it will be hard to unpick that. Regional balance is not a slogan; it is a formula for fairness, equal opportunity, a stronger, more prosperous Northern Ireland and a stronger, more prosperous Ireland, because, as has been said — I was going to make this point — partition has not worked for Derry or for Donegal. Contrary to the First Minister's belief, the north-west is not thriving, and neither are most council areas outside Belfast. That mindset, which is so detached from reality, demonstrates just how Belfast-centric politics have become here and how out of touch many of our political representatives have become. It is not about just Derry. The SDLP — the Opposition — will tomorrow call for support for the apple-growing industry in Armagh. We are told, however, that Derry is the second city, and we continue to receive second-class treatment. There is nowhere where that imbalance has been more pronounced or more painfully felt. We are not alone, as I have said, and it is brilliant to hear so many voices around the Chamber speak in so many different accents in support of the motion. It is clear that Belfast work has not worked for anywhere else or for anyone else. Last week, I spoke about how the north-west had been left behind, with flagship arts organisations such as Echo Echo Dance Theatre and the Waterside Theatre closing and about 80% of arts funding being concentrated in Belfast. There are places that get a rawer deal than Derry in that regard, with some councils receiving less than 1% of the overall arts funding, yet the Communities Minister and the Executive have done nothing to address that. The crisis intervention service in Derry was left to collapse, despite Derry having one of the highest suicide rates on these islands. When BT jobs were stripped away from Derry, the lucky workers were told to move to Belfast, following which thousands more jobs have been announced there. That is not balance; it is the opposite of balance. I feel that I may be playing into the image that Gary Middleton tried to portray of the SDLP when he said that we seem to have become "allergic to positivity". Given what else Gary Middleton said, I fear that the DUP and he may be becoming allergic to reality. Of course, we welcome any and every investment in Derry and the north-west, but he cited the example of the 270 jobs with the Department for Communities. I was firmly under the impression that those were through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), not DFC. There is the £15 million for the DNA museum, which will be a brilliant asset to the tourism product in Derry, as well as the whole of the North and specifically the north-west, but all that money did not come from Executive Departments. That is the kind of gaslighting that goes on. People are not stupid; they see through it.

I thank the Member for his intervention. Those are things that happened long ago and things for which we have been waiting a long time. Mr Delargy gave the example of the Meenan Square development, of which we have heard much but seen little. Gary Middleton also accused us of "playing politics". Being accused of playing politics by the DUP is like being lectured on workplace safety by Homer Simpson. I struggled to find a comparison there, because I had to think of someone whom I would not offend by comparing them to the DUP. The resignation of Kieran Kennedy from the Invest NI board is not an isolated act but a symptom of a wider and deeper malaise in government. The Department for the Economy's data admits that. We have heard the figures cited by a number of contributors. Labour productivity in Belfast City Council area is 31% higher than it is in Derry and Strabane District Council area. Median wages are 44% higher in Belfast than in Ards and North Down Borough Council area. The Northern Ireland Football Fund debacle laid it bare. Clubs like Derry City FC, Institute FC and Coleraine FC were promised funding, played for fools and got zero. That decision was political. It was not independent, and it mocked any claim of regional balance. Do not forget that the first thing that the Minister did with regard to that fund was to change its name from the "subregional stadia programme fund". Representatives from all parties have expressed criticism and concern. Even the First Minister and the Economy Minister called, in the press, for full scrutiny and transparency, but, when push comes to shove, no Member from any of the Executive parties has supported our bid to ensure full scrutiny and transparency. They have just shrugged their shoulders and circled the wagons. People are not stupid, as I have said. They see through this ruling by fooling. I appreciate that Maurice Bradley and Gary Middleton have both said that they are working with the Minister and the respective clubs to sort that out, but we will not hold our breath. The rates support grant, which was meant to — invented to, actually — support poorer councils has been slashed by 75% since 2008. Ratepayers in struggling council areas now pay far more for basic services while wealthy areas are cushioned. Those with less get less. Recently, Derry and Strabane ranked 357th out of 359 UK councils for quality of life, a fact that is ignored when Ministers boast that we are thriving. Regional imbalance is not just about money but about mindset. The A6 upgrade has not been finished. The A5 has not been started. We cannot tell people to leave the car at home when one in five rural bus services are cancelled and rail investment bypasses the north-west. We still have not received from DFI an explanation for the blatant timetable discrimination that we see every Sunday especially, never mind the relatively small investment that would be needed to put it right. Over 100 areas face waste water constraints, and 55 projects have been lost because of it. We are also the worst in the west for health outcomes: we have the lowest psychiatrist numbers and the longest waits for surgery, autism assessments and mental health support. The people who live in the Western Trust area and the people who work for the trust are being failed by an outdated capitation formula that does not recognise social need. One in four children live in poverty. Homelessness has doubled in a decade. We welcome progress on Magee, but where is the funding not just to enable that expansion but to facilitate it causing less friction in neighbouring residential communities? We need everyone to buy in, yes, but we also need every Department to pay in. We in the Opposition are not just cursing the darkness but trying to provide light. My colleague Ms McLaughlin has outlined again the SDLP's intention to enshrine in law, through her private Member's Bill, an end to outside of Belfast being an afterthought. Mr Delargy spoke of the need for everyone to work together to ensure regional balance. We do and we will need all parties to do that. However, we cannot merely encourage every Department to ensure regional balance; we will have to force them to do that through law. The motion is about more than economics; it is about equality. We call on the Minister for the Economy to compel every Department to deliver real, measurable regional balance. Our message is simple: we do not want pity or platitudes; we want parity.

1,321 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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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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