Sligo's mayor is organising a cross-Border conference aimed at increasing co-operation to help develop the north-west's economy. Mr Sean McManus of Sinn Fein said he had decided to host the event to try to "develop and harness the full economic and infrastructure potential of the north-west" as the area had traditionally suffered from a lack of development on both sides of the Border. However, one effect of the initiative will be to highlight the number of Sinn Fein members currently chairing local authorities in Border areas.
In the North, Sinn Fein currently holds the chairs of Derry City Council, Strabane District Council and Fermanagh District Council. In the South, Sinn Fein members hold the chairs of Sligo Corporation, Leitrim County Council and Monaghan County Council, and the vice-chair of Cavan County Council.
The only non-Sinn Fein chairs attending will be from Donegal and Sligo County Councils and Omagh, where an SDLP member holds the chair.
Mr McManus said he wanted to stress that the conference was cross-political. "Irrespective of who was in the chairs it was an initiative I would have hoped to run during my term as mayor," he said.
A number of guest speakers has also been invited. Mr McManus said the idea was to form a "united strategy" to help develop the north-west. He said a co-ordinated approach could help improve infrastructure such as roads, and he would support a cross-Border gas network. He said there had been "duplication created by partition" and that the "absence of a long-term government strategy had resulted in a piecemeal approach".