The Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) has appointed Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Councillor Sam Nicholson as its new Chairperson for 2022/23, with Councillor Séamus Coyle of Monaghan County Council as Vice-Chair at the recent Annual General Meeting held in Craigavon Civic and Conference Centre.
ICBAN was established as a network of councillors from the Northern Ireland/Ireland border area in 1995 with the aim of responding to the unique economic and social needs of the Central Border Region. The eight member Councils in the network are Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon, Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh and Omagh, Leitrim, Mid Ulster, Monaghan, and Sligo.
New Chairperson, Councillor Nicholson has been a member of the Management Board since 2015. In his acceptance statement, he thanked his proposers and said that it was a privilege to have been elected to the role of leading ICBAN in the next year.
Remarking on the focus for the next year being delivering on some more of these regional priorities, Councillor Nicholson said, “I would hope for continued progress on the delivery of the ‘Framework for Regional Priorities’ strategy for the Central Border Region, through a range of project proposals being developed and submitted to funding streams such as the new PEACE Plus Programme.
The UK Regional funds, Levelling Up and Shared Prosperity, as well as Shared Island funds, are other funding options which can help us collectively improve everyday life across the Central Border Region. ICBAN can play an important role working with member Councils and other stakeholders to help realise these opportunities”.
On his nomination to the role of Vice-Chair, Councillor Séamus Coyle thanked the ICBAN Management Board and said he was looking forward to a year of positive progress, working with Councillor Nicholson and the Members from the eight local authorities of the Central Border Region.
