Mountjoy Policing Forum

The next Mountjoy Community Policing Forum  meeting will take place on Tuesday 8th January 2013 at 7.30pm in the An Oige Hostel, Mountjoy Street, Dublin 1.  This is an opportunity for people living and working the area to meet with the Gardai, Dublin City Council and elected representatives to discuss and address issues of concern. As Chair of the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee I encourage people from the area to come along as these forum meetings feed into the priorities for the Dublin Central Joint Policing Commitee. Mary

Martin Savage Commemoration

The annual Martin Savage Commemoration will take place on Sunday 23rd December 2012 at 12.00noon at the monunment at Ashtown cross.  I will welcome the relatives of Martin Savage and address the gathering, with my colleagues Cllr Mags Murray and Cllr David McGuiness, before laying a wreath. All are welcome.  Mary

Leader of the Year Awards

It is a real honour to be nominated by Fianna Fail for the annual Liberals and Democrats Local and Regional LeaDeR Awards, organised by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

I am delighted to be short-listed as a finalist in the Local Leader of the year award and look forward to attending the awards ceremony in the Committee of the Regions in Brussels on December 18th 2012

When in Brussels I will also attend a half day seminar on the Europe 2020 strategy which has a list of interesting topics and speakers. It will be great to learn firsthand more about Europe’s growth strategy for the next decade.  Hopefully I can bring back some good ideas and information and put them to good use in Dublin.

Wish me luck! Mary

Cabra Garda Station

At the October meeting of the Central Area Committee I proposed a motion that "The elected members of the Central Area Committee call on the Minister for Justice not to further reduce the public hours of operation or close Cabra Garda Station". The motion was passed and a letter sent to the Minister for Justice.  The Minister replied saying that it is not his responsibility and it is a matter for the Garda Commissioner.  He stated that the Garda Commissioner will deal with the issue in the context of the 2013 Garda Plan.  As Chair of the Joint Policing Committee for Dublin Central I will be seeking a commitment in the 2013 Garda Plan for Cabra that there is no further reduction in resources for the Navan Road and Cabra area.  Mary

Lindsay Road Flooding

At the December meeting of the Central Area Committee I asked Dublin City Council to provide a report on what action Dublin City Council has taken to address the problem with surface flooding in the parking area on Iona Park at the corner with Lindsey Road and at the top of Lindsey Road and the lane to the rear of Prospect Road .  Dublin City Council advised me that the gullies at these locations were cleaned on 3rd December 2012.  I hope this is going to improve the situation and will keep an eye to see if the it re-occurs.  Mary

Moore Street

The long running saga of Moore Street continues. The Government has yet to bring forward any plans for preservation of the National Monument and creation of an appropriate celebration of the historic events that took place in 1916. There is growing concern that time will run-out for the creation of a meaningful commemoration in time for 2016. In an effort to move things on, the elected Members of Dublin City Council recently agreed to establish a Moore Street Advisory Committee comprised of eight Elected Members. I am delighted to have been appointed to the Committee and attended the first meeting last week in City Hall.

The terms of reference of the Committee are “to review, report on, and make recommendations to the City Council in respect of the overall Moore Street Area Development, with particular focus and emphasis on the preservation, use and development of the 1916 GPO Evacuation Route and the Moore Street buildings occupied by the rebels in the final days of the 1916 Easter Rising.” The focus of the committees work will be on identifying a solution in time for 2016.

We are inviting any members of the public, individuals and/or groups, to make submissions regarding this matter. If you or your group have a suggestion to make please send your submissions by e-mail to msac@dublincity.ie or by post to:The Chairman, Moore Street Advisory Committee, City Managers Department, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8.

The closing date for submissions is the 31st of January 2013.  Mary

Broombridge Train Station

At the December meeting of the Central Area Committee I again raised the issue of the need for an upgrade to the facilities at Broombridge train station.  I proposed a motion stating "The elected members of the Central Area Committee call on Irish Rail to outline what measures it has put in place to ensure public safety on the Maynooth line and to upgrade Broombridge Train station by providing improved public lighting, security cameras, shelter, customer information, non-slip surface on the platforms and security".  The motion was passed and the request has been sent to Irish Rail.  I will provide an update when Irish Rail reply.  Mary

Navan Road flooding

I recently asked Dublin City Council to outline what action it had undertaken to deal with the road flooding problem that occurs at the junction of the Navan Road and Kinvara Avenue almost every time we get a shower of rain. It happens right beside a very busy pedestrian crossing point and this location is very dangerous when it freezes over during frosty conditions.  In reply, Dublin City Council stated, "the gullies at this location were cleaned on 3rd December. One requires to be pressured cleaned which will be carried out in the next week or so".  I hope this improves the situation but please let me know if the problem re-occurs.  Mary

Wrong Tax Wrong Time

Today the Government is trying to ram through, without debate, the new Property Tax.

The property tax will apply to all family homes, homes paying a management fee, homes that paid stamp duty, homes in mortgage arrears, homes in negative equity, homes of the elderly, sick and unemployed. People who cannot pay will be taxed more. This tax is designed to increase peoples personal debt.

It is time to shout STOP.

Every TD will have an opportunity to stop the Government from introducing an unfair Property Tax by voting against this legislation.

You can make your opposition known by taking a couple of minutes now to phone 01 618 3000 or email your local TD and as many other TDs as you can and ask them to represent you and to vote against this unfair Property Tax.

A full list of TDs email addresses is available here. Ask everyone in your address book to do the same.

Mary

Wrong Tax Wrong Time

Thanks to everyone who has supported our campaign against the introduction of a Property Tax.

The Government has provided details on their proposed Property Tax and the legislation to make it law will be introduced in the Dail tomorrow.

The property tax will apply to all family homes, homes paying a management fee, homes that paid stamp duty, homes in mortgage arrears, homes negative equity, homes of the elderly, sick and unemployed. People who cannot pay will be taxed more. This tax is designed to increase peoples personal debt.

The Government has only allowed a couple of hours for general debate on this really important legislation and even less time for the committee and final stages where amendments can be proposed. Clearly they are trying to ram this through without any debate. This is totally disrespectful to every homeowner in the country.

It is time to shout STOP.

Every TD will have an opportunity to stop the Government from introducing an unfair Property Tax by voting against this legislation tomorrow.

You can make your opposition known by taking a couple of minutes now to email your local TD and as many other TDs as you can and ask them to represent you tomorrow and to vote against this unfair Property Tax.   A full list of TDs email addresses is available here. Ask everyone in your address book to do the same.

This property tax is the Wrong Tax at the Wrong Time.
Thank You.  Mary

2013 City Funding

As leader of the Fianna Fail Group on Dublin City Council I have requested clarity on the funding for Dublin City Council for 2013.

Despite compliance in excess of 70% with the Household tax in Dublin City the Government withheld more than €1million in funding from Dublin City Council in 2012. This had a real impact on services.

The Fianna Fail group are opposed to the Governments property tax. We believe it is unfair, uncollectible and undermines local Government. We are concerned that the City Councils ability to deliver services in 2013 will be compromised by uncertainty over next year’s funding and have requested confirmation of funding for Dublin City.
On November 26th 2012 Dublin City Councillors met to consider the City Managers proposed 2013 Dublin City budget. At the budget meeting the Fianna Fail group proposed deferring taking any decision on the City Managers draft budget until after the National Budget was announced on December 5th. We proposed the deferral because the National Budget would have a significant impact on the City Budget, through the Local Government Fund, the property tax and the non principle private residence tax.

Even though legally and practically there was plenty of time to allow for this deferral Labour and Fine Gael Councillors rejected this proposal and went ahead and approved a city budget. That was bad governance and bad practice.

Following on from the national budget I requested an update from Dublin City Council’s Head of Finance on the implications of the National Budget on the City Council €800million Budget. Specifically I have sought confirmation of the local government fund allocation to Dublin City Council for 2013, how much the announced property tax is expected to generate in Dublin City and what impact the budget will have on the NPPR forecast for DCC next year?

The Government must clarify for Dublin City Council as soon as possible the funding implications of its budgetary decisions so that Dublin City Council can plan accordingly. Dublin City Council is the largest local authority in the country and its proper funding is essential to the capitals economy.  Mary

Local Policing Forum

The next Navan Road and Pelletstown Local Community Policing Forum  will take place on Thursday 13th December 2013 at 7pm in the The Parish Center, Navan road, Dublin 7.  This is an opportunity for people living and working the area to meet with the Gardai, Dublin City Council and elected representatives to discuss and address issues of concern. As Chair of the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee I encourage people from the area to come along as these forum meetings feed into the priorities for the Dublin Central Joint Policing Commitee. Mary

Greyhound Recycling

In late November I became aware that Greyhound stopped supplying customers in Dublin central with free bags to recycle materials and that they intended introducing a charge for bags. I immediately raised this issue with the City Manager and asked that he ensure that customers are provided with bags to recycle their goods as soon as possible. Additionally I sought confirmation that Greyhound do not propose to charge for collection of green bins.

Following on from my representations DCC met with Greyhound and advised me that Greyhound confirmed that they will continue to collect ALL bags up to and including Friday 18th January 2013 free of charge. While this is welcome it doesn't go far enough because many customers had already ran out of bags and were being asked to pay €9 for six bags.  I have asked that Greyhound provide customers with bags free of charge from now until January 18th and they re-consider the proposed €9 charge which is very expensive.

I have also asked Dublin City Council to ensure that Greyhound collect any additional recyclable waste that is presented by customers over the Christmas period e.g. wrapping and packaging as was always the case with Dublin City Council.
In response to my query about charging for green bins Greyhounds has indicated that it's introduction of charges for recycle bags is not a precursor to a charge for collection of the green bin. Lets hope this is the case.

In the meantime a list of licensed operators for Dublin City is available here and a new company called City Bin has recently entered the market with what appears an attractive offer.  Mary

East Wall Community Forum

The next East Wall Local Community Policing Forum  will take place on Wednesday 12th December 2013 at 7pm in the Sean O'Casey Commuity Center, St Mary's Road, East Wall, Dublin 3.  This is an opportunity for people living and working the area to meet with the Gardai, Dublin City Council and elected representatives to discuss and address issues of concern. As Chair of the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee I encourage people from the area to come along as these forum meetings feed into the priorities for the Dublin Central Joint Policing Commitee. Mary

Blackhorse Avenue

I have repeatedly called on Dublin City Council to make improvements and repairs to Blackhorse Avenue.   I again recently asked DCC to advise when the poor condition of the surface of the upper end of Blackhorse Avenue willl be addressed and the "sharks teeth" on the ramps renewed. In response to my representations Dublin City Council has advised that the issue of the sharks teeth shall be dealt with by the Traffic Division when the cold spell lifts and the section of Blackhorse Ave in disrepair shall be considered for the 2013 Works Programme. I have asked the Roads department to prioritise these repairs and as soon as I have any further updates I will let you know.  Mary

Drumcondra & Glasnevin Forum

The next Drumcondra and Glasnevin Community Policing Forum  meeting will take place on Wednesday 5th December 2013 at 7pm in the The Maples Hotel, Iona Road, Dublin 9.  This is an opportunity for people living and working the area to meet with the Gardai, Dublin City Council and elected representatives to discuss and address issues of concern. As Chair of the Dublin Central Joint Policing Committee I encourage people from the area to come along as these forum meetings feed into the priorities for the Dublin Central Joint Policing Commitee. Mary

Extend HGV ban ?

When the 5+axel HGV ban was being introduced in Dublin City in 2007 I succeeded in getting the Navan Road, Cabra, Phibsborough, Drumcondra and East Wall included in the cordon or exclusion zone.  Now Dublin City Council is considering extending the current operating hours of the HGV 5+ axle Cordon in Dublin City, and are asking the public for their views on the proposal .

Currently the ban operates from 07.00hrs to 19.00hrs, while the proposed changes would see the Cordon extending from either 06.00hrs or 07.00hrs to 12 midnight.

Since the HGV 5+ axle Cordon came into force in February 2007, over 4,000 HGVs per day have been removed from the City’s streets. The current proposal would see an additional 120 trucks approximately diverted away from the City’s streets.

Detailed information on the HGV Management Strategy, together with a copy of the report can be viewed here.   Submissions can be made to Dublin City Council and should be emailed to traffic@dublincity.ie before 5.30pm on Friday, 7th December 2012. Mary

Metro North illegal Levy ?

At this yesterday evenings monthly meeting of Dublin City Council I requested an opinion from the Law Officer on whether Dublin City Council is acting legally by continuing to collect Section 49 Development Levys for the Metro North Project.

I was alarmed to learn that the City Manager had not already sought legal advice on the matter and asked that he do so because not only is the continued collection of the levy’s removing cash from the city economy but it is also potentially exposing the council to liability.

The section 49 Metro North development levy scheme was created by Dublin City Council in 2007 for a period of 30 years. Already more than €13m has been collected by Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council under this scheme. The scheme is projected to collect more than €100million over the next thirty years if it continues unchecked. This is real money that could be otherwise invested in the city.

I have repeatedly asked Dublin City Council to suspend the levy scheme and to refund the levy’s already collected. The scheme states that the Metro North Project was to be completed in 2012 and it states that if the project does not proceed the levys will be refunded. I believe that City Council is potentially acting in conflict with it’s own scheme.

The collection of this levy must be suspended immediately. It is bad practice for Dublin City Council to collect a levy for a project that has been indefinitely suspended, it is damaging the city economy and it undermines Dublin City Councils ability to collect legitimate charges. Mary

Incinerator Waste

The Local Government Audit report of Dublin City Council for the year ended 31st December 2011 was presented at the monthly meeting of Dublin City Council in City Hall last night. The Statutory Audit report “is an external commentary on financial management and financial prudence within Dublin City Council.” The report is extremely critical of Dublin City Councils financial mis-management of the Poolbeg Waste to Energy Project.

The Audit report identifies a number of issues with the financial mis-management of the Poolbeg Waste to Energy Project that are extremely serious. To date more than €80million has been spent on the project and the report is highly critical of the financial mis-management of these public funds. It states that the financial management of the project was weak and calls for more comprehensive oversight in monitoring and controlling expenditure and says the financial control procedures were not adequate. It states that one element of the project that should have cost €8.3m actually cost €28.4m. It seriously questions Dublin City Councils competence to manage the project.

These serious criticisms are included in the appendix, they should have been included in the body of the report.

The report requires a serious response from the elected representatives. All spending on the project should be immediately stopped. The Fianna Fail group has called for an immediate freeze on all spending in relation to the project and an independent review of the issues raised in the auditor’s report.  Mary

€1 Christmas Parking Promotion

From this weekend Dublin City Council is offering an on-street parking price promotion in Dublin City centre from €1 per hour every saturday and sunday in December.  The promotion will apply in Dublin city centre’s core trading area. This comprises over 800 on-street parking spaces. A special promotion sticker has been put on parking meters where the offer applies for easy recognition.  This offer means you get a reduction of €1.90 per hour on Saturday and €0.40 on Sunday. It would give you a saving of €5.70 on a three-hour shopping trip on a Saturday.
Parking Tag customers can make even more savings. Parking Tag is Dublin City Council’s cashless, mobile phone-based parking system which allows you to top up by your mobile. Parking Tag customers get €1 on street parking per hour every Saturday and Sunday in December in the wider city centre area.  So if you must take the car to town at least you won't have to pay as much for parking. Mary