Laois people are being asked to take part in a survey on the future of towns and villages.
Labour representative for Laois, Eoin Barry, is encouraging people from all over the county to take part.
He says that between the loss of banks, retail services, post offices and pubs, the future of towns and villages has ‘never been more at risk’.
Something, he says, has been further enhanced by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said: “Between the closure of bank branches, loss of retail and the move to online services, the future of our towns and villages have never been more at risk.
“The pandemic has shown the importance of local services but also accelerated the move online endangering more shops.
“The Labour Party is carrying out a major national survey to hear what the people think needs to be done to rescue our main streets and save our towns and villages.
“We can’t continue to lose commercial services, banks, post offices, shops and pubs and expect our urban centres to thrive. We need a major rethink about what we can do to save our town.
“Just last week the government launched another plan to save rural Ireland but we’ve seen it all before.
“With the Covid-19 pandemic there have been radical changes in the way people live and work.
“The pandemic has also reminded us how important our local shops and amenities are for providing us with the products and services we need.
“The loss of pubs and restaurants reminds us of how important these are as social settings.
“The Labour Party is carrying out a major national survey to hear what the people think needs to be done to rescue our main streets and save our towns and villages.
“We can’t continue to lose commercial services, banks, post offices, shops and pubs and expect our urban centres to thrive. We need a major rethink about what we can do to save our town.
“Just last week the government launched another plan to save rural Ireland but we’ve seen it all before.
“With the Covid-19 pandemic there have been radical changes in the way people live and work.
“The pandemic has also reminded us how important our local shops and amenities are for providing us with the products and services we need.
“The loss of pubs and restaurants reminds us of how important these are as social settings.
“I would ask the people of Laois to engage with the survey and share with us their views of what we can do too.”
Anyone wishing to take part can do so by clicking here.
