Ivana Bacik is hoping Sligo Labour candidate can make a splash in General Election

Deputy Bacik and some local supporters took to the cold water at Deadman's Point, Rosses Pointduring her day long visit to Sligo.

In an interview with The Sligo Champion, the Labour leader said the party would be keen to alleviate the chronic housing and exorbitant rent situation in Sligo.

"Firstly we want to see our candidate Nessa Cosgrove elected for Sligo/Leitrim and we want to see the housing crisis tackled.

"She has a proven track record of being passionate about her community.

"There is huge support for Nessa for her Labour values and we saw that in Cranmore this morning.

"In Sligo housing remains the single biggest civil rights issue and the average rent for a house in Sligo is now €1,276 per month and that has gone up by 12.4 per cent of an increase for the year.

"That is shocking and it replicates the pattern we are seeing around the country where people simply cannot afford to rent or buy homes.

"We in Labour have called for a massive State investment in the building of new homes.

"We were the first party to identify the real need for 50,000 new builds per year, a need that is now accepted widely.

"We would target housing as our key single issue. We want to see the local authority back involved in building public housing." Deputy Bacik added that Labour had a plan to develop the Land Development Agency to enhance its powers to ensure that it becomes a State construction company.

"Shangannagh Castle in Shankhill in Dublin was the first cohort of new direct State built homes and we want to see more of this in Sligo and all over the country."

Ms Bacik said she was delighted to visit Sligo and has friends from the town and was down last year with Nessa "who is our great local representative".

"We were thrilled this year to see Nessa elected to the Council in June and I am here to go around the town with Nessa to meet people ahead of the election and to speak at her convention selection tonight for the General Election.

"And I am also here to present the inaugural Tommy Higgins Community Recognition Award and we have had a fantastic tradition of Labour and trade union activism in Sligo town."

When asked what Labour would do on the ongoing campaign to upgrade theN 17 she said she "would consult with our local reps and we want to see Nessa elected to represent the people of Sligo and that is what I am down here for.

"I will be speaking today with our local reps so we haven't come out on that yet."

Asked for her stance on the reopening fully of the Sligo to Gawlay rail line she said she would be speaking locally about how public transport infrastructure can be improved.

"Labour nationally are passionate about increasing our rail services and bicycle lanes as well.

"And I know that the Sligo to Dublin rail service needs to be improved."

Labour have not had a TD since current Carhaoirleach Declan Bree was elected in 1992. But Deputy Bacik has been heartened by a recent increase to 6 per cent in the polls nationally.

"But the real figures are the results of the local elections and we saw 56 councillors elected across the country and we saw gains here in Sligo, in Galway, Kilkenny and Cork.

"So we are really excited to see Labour, the party of deep roots and green shoots doing so well across the country and we had Aodhan O'Riordan elected as the first MEP in 15 years."

She pointed to Nessa Cosgrove's emphatic local election victory as proof that the party was on the rise again.

"We are thrilled about that and one of my priorities, since becoming leader, was to grow our vote share all over the country and we certainly have seen that in Sligo.

"And Sligo is one of our key target seats."

In a packed itineray Deputy Bacik also visited Cranmore, ATU Sligo, Strandhil, Treacy Avenue, Merville Community Centre and finished her trip with a walk around Queen Maeve Square.

On Monday night Cllr Cosgrove was endorsed as the party's candidate to contest the next General Election in Sligo/Leitrim.

Cllr. Cosgrove, who was the only candidate to seek selection made clear her delight at being nominated:

"Last June I was honoured to be elected by the people of Sligo-Strandhill to serve upon Sligo County Council. Since then I have worked seven days a week to represent the views of the people both in the Council Chamber and behind closed doors, quietly getting on with the work I was elected to do."

"The vote that I received in June was a vote for change, it was a vote for a fresh approach. Without change all institutions become stale, tired and risk becoming self-serving. I think that the electorate could see that in Sligo County Council, and I think that they can also see it in the Dail.

"There will be a change of Government after the General Election, whenever it is called, and the country needs a strong Labour voice to be part of that change," she said.

She added: "I was especially thrilled that Ivana Bacik, the leader of the Labour Party, was able to visit the North West on such a beautiful day, when the region looks at its best. This region has such potential. We have the natural resources, we have an immensely talented population. What we don't have is a Government that is up to the task."

Deputy Bacik added: "Sligo-Leitrim is one of the most beautiful constituencies in the 32 counties of Ireland, and it is always a pleasure to visit. Today, I have had the pleasure of seeing much of what is best in Sligo.

"The amazing work being done through the community and voluntary sector in Cranmore, by the invaluable staff at Sligo Abbey, and the various services and enterprises which are making Rosses Point, Strandhill and other small towns and villages vibrant and welcoming destinations.

"Sligo-Leitrim has so much to offer. Despite the potential of all its people and natural resources, it is being let down by its politicians in the Dail. There is no doubt that there is a serious regional imbalance and that Sligo-Leitrim has been neglected over this prolonged period of Fianna Fail Fine Gael rule."