A Monaghan woman has raised her concerns over a roadworks tender in Carrickmacross which went out to a Northern Irish company. According to Fancea from , this is not the first time a tender has been allocated to a company which is not based within Co Monaghan.
Speaking on this morning's Joe Finnegan Show, Fancea said that public representatives preach at the public to shop local, yet in her view, Monaghan County Council is going against that by giving the majority, if not all, public jobs to Northern Irish companies.
According to the local woman, companies across Co Monaghan pays rates, employ local people and put money into local authorises. As a result, Fancea firmly believes that all government and council jobs should be kept for Monaghan-based trades people who are employed by Monaghan companies.
"I'm looking at Monaghan County Council and they are basically funded by the people of this area," Fancea explained. "However, when a project comes up, the first thing which happens is you see a northern company coming in to do the works. We have so many companies that have been created within this county and so many terrific trades people I can't understand the reasoning behind Monaghan County Council giving all of these jobs to Northern-based companies.
"I want to make it clear, I don't want to create a rift between Northern people and Southern people. However, when I was younger I always remember my grandfather who always preached that you should never spend your money anywhere other than locally, because when you spend local you're helping people in the same area as yourself.
"I understand in the current climate that we're living in with the cost of things, I do understand that you have to have value for money, but looking at the bigger picture, you can be sure that a southern company will employ people who live in Co Monaghan and who will spend their wages in Co Monaghan. "
