Below is a copy of a letter emailed to each candidate running in the Meath East & West Constituencies in the 2020 General Election:

4th February 2020

Dear Candidate,

We are writing to you as members of the Social Inclusion Pillar of the Public Participation Network in Co. Meath.

We wish to outline the issues that members of this participative democratic structure believe are central to the communities we work with, live in and represent on a range of structures.

We have identified three key lifeline issues for marginalised and excluded groups in Co. Meath: Re-engage, Redress and Renewal

1. Re-engage:

• Elected Representatives need to work hand in hand with groups like ourselves who have knowledge, expertise and experience of social inclusion and equality issues in Co. Meath so that we can work together effectively.

2. Redress:

• Your support is necessary to redress the chronic lack of investment in Meath to meet service demands as part of greater Dublin area.

• Lack of investment has a negative, cumulative and lasting impact on the most disadvantaged groups in society and it needs to change now as the impact is deepening year on year, with the county falling even further behind.

3. Renewal:

• Change and clear thinking is needed. All candidates need to support the setting up of a time-limited Task Force to focus on social inclusion in Meath.

• We need to identify the current gaps in resources and services within the social inclusion sector

• Stakeholders and statutory agencies need to brought together to develop a costed action plan to secure government support.

• We need to avoid duplication of work and increase the effectiveness and targeting of interventions and services.

• Communities that experience inequality and social exclusion should be involved at the centre of any planning which will impact on their lives.

We look forward to working with you.

Your sincerely,

Members of the Social Inclusion Pillar,

Meath Public Participation Network

(List of Member Groups attached)