​Cllr Hughie McGrath, Tipperary County Council hosted a delegation from the European Alliance Group in the European Committee of the Regions to discuss EU policies to regenerate town centres.  The Group members are elected politicians from across Europe including Poland, Romania, Estonia, Scotland and Flanders.  The objective was to examine how EU funding and policies needs to be adjusted to reflect also the needs of towns and their centres.

Cllr McGrath said that he has raised on many occasions the need to look at rural towns and he felt it was important that people see the situation on the ground and in particular in Nenagh.  He further added that towns lose out on funding due to the fact they are too small to be eligible for urban funding but too big to receive rural funding and this needs to change.

The President of the European Alliance Group and Member of the Flemish Parliament Mr Karl Vanlouwe welcomed the invitation to Nenagh and highlighted that the situation of town centres was similar across the European Union and clearly EU policies needed to adapt and reflect the reality of towns.

Participants in the meeting included Members of the Dáil (Irish Parliament), Jackie Cahill TD (Fianna Fáil) and Alan Kelly TD (Labour). The delegation will meet local politicians, Tipperary County Council manager the director of the Southern Regional Assembly and local chambers of commerce.