Independent MEP Marian Harkin has pledged her full support for the campaign to prevent the closing of the Ridgepool Hotel as an essential part of Ballina’s tourism offer.

In a letter to Ballina Mayor Padraig Moore, she stressed the importance of tourism for Ballina and the need to retain top class accommodation in the town for visitors.  “It amazes me how Government continues to fail to link up its different policies.  In the case of the Ridgepool it makes no sense to threaten the vitally important tourism sector in order to resolve an immigration policy problem”, she said.

County Mayo was already providing its fair share of necessary accommodation for immigrants and to facilitate a change of use of the Ridgepool Hotel, would be to encourage an unnecessary and counter productive action which was not in the interests of Ballina or Co. Mayo, Marian Harkin said.