Councillor Neale Richmond:

I am in agreement with everything Councillor Sheehan said but the obstacle we are meeting is the top-down approach. The EU institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg are telling the national Governments to implement it but the national Governments do not disseminate the information and the responsibility adequately through to local authorities and regional groups.

This is an inclusive approach. It is not just about the institutions and the State bodies but also the chambers of commerce, the various third level institutions and all the sectors this will affect. We would like to see a greater buy-in from civil society, but that will only come about if the institutions are allowed engage in it.