Peter Burke opens new office in Castlepollard
Minister Peter Burke has opened a second office in Castlepollard following the return of east and north Westmeath to the Longford Westmeath constituency. Those areas were previously included in Meath West.
Minister Burke, one of the four TDs for Longford Westmeath and Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, becomes the only TD to have a constituency office in Castlepollard, and the only public representative to have an office outside of Mullingar or Athlone.
He said it made sense to offer the service for the local population without people having to travel to Mullingar.
"I always felt it was a mistake separating Westmeath into two constituencies, and made submissions to the Boundary Commission and this year to the Electoral Commission, highlighting that. "When they changed the boundary in August, finally reuniting all of Westmeath under the Longford Westmeath umbrella, I was delighted, as I know were many people living in Castlepollard, Delvin, Clonmellon and all the surrounding areas.
"Many of those people have attended my Mullingar clinics and sent me emails or queries over the years, which is understandable due to the lack of knowledge or clarity around where the boundary line lay.
"When I was a councillor for Mullingar Coole up until my election to the Dáil in 2016, I covered this area too so I am familiar with many of the issues.
"I will now be spending every Friday in Castlepollard, and will hold a clinic at 2-4pm from the office, which is beside Tesco and Simon’s Craft Butchers.
"We have only been open a week, but the reception so far has been really positive and people are glad to have this service being offered closer to them. The office is staffed Monday to Friday and the same number and email for the Mullingar Office can reach staff here – 044 9385044 and peter.burke@oir.ie.
"While it will be a busy year with Local, European and possibly a General Election along with a busy portfolio in European Affairs and Defence, working for the constituency remains top priority for me and I am looking forward to hitting the ground running meeting communities, constituents and businesses in North Westmeath."