Dear Constituent,
Thank you for the honour of electing me to be your representative on South Dublin County Council. It was a difficult election to fight and it proposes to me a challenging but interesting time ahead for the next 4 ½ years.
I have now set up my clinics and I am available for consultation throughout the constituency. Details are provided above.
The Council Chamber which has been controlled by Fine Gael and Labour in the last 5 years is now controlled by an alliance of Labour and Sinn Féin and will be faced with severe difficulties in balancing the books. I and my colleagues in Fianna Fáil will ensure that these cutbacks do not affect the most vulnerable in our community and that essential services are protected.
The following issues have been raised by myself over the course of the past eight months.
Refuse Collection and Green BinsBin Collections/Green B
The phasing out of the tag system of bin collection has commenced and the Council plans to have all of its customers provided with their Top Up cards by mid-December. It will operate similar to the Mobile phone system. The Brown bin (for biodegradable material ) will be available in the first quarter of 2010 in order to meet the national targets of saving biodegradable material from landfills by July 2010.
Litterter
Fly-tipping in the dead of the night is a persistent problem. Residents should be wary of using Waste Disposal people who do not have a permit and should contact the Gardai if callers are not registered.
I have taken practical action myself in relation to litter both with a lane tidy in Cherryfield in May and have together with my team removed the bulk of the fastenings which decorated the poles of our most busy roads.
Sportport
I support the Council in launching a website detailing all of the local sporting facilities for young retired and those recently made redundant. See their website at www.sdublincoco.ie or Google ‘Link 2 B Active’ for details of all of the facilities. The aim of this scheme is to stress the importance of the camaraderie that sport promotes and to end the isolation that unemployment can cause by becoming involved in some level of physical fitness. As the scheme emphasises being made redundant can sap the spirit of the healthiest of us and the link between vigorous exercise and mental health as well as boosting confidence is essential for one’s physical and mental well-being as well as assisting your job recruitment prospects.
Bike Scheme
STOP PRESS! Walsh's Bike Scheme motion passed by SDCC!
See top of page for more.
The Dublin Bike Scheme has been a magnificent addition to the Dublin City Council area. As a member of the scheme myself I have found it not just enjoyable but very useful and have used a combination of bus, LUAS and bicycle to get to my destination.I have put a Motion down this December asking my colleagues to support South Dublin County Council in introducing a similar scheme. The aim should be that the Bike can be cycled throughout the entire city.
The County has a reasonable network of cycle lanes and this activity will foster a pro cycling culture as well as reducing our carbon footprint.
In 2008 the Government intorduced a tax exemption for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment up to the value of €1,000. The scheme operates similar to the bus/rail travel pass scheme. The Bike should be used for journeys between the employee’s home and normal place of work. Further details can be obtained from me or from your employer.
Tree cuttinge Cutting
The Council has announced the beginning of the tree cutting and planting season and a number of constituents have contacted me concerning trees in their area that I have passed on to the Council on their behalf. This council will be dealing with each of the queries that you have raised with me over the coming weeks. If you have any further queries on this matter please do not hesitate to contact me. The annual bonfire mayhem left its usual trail of destruction. I have suggested that the Council look to organise more municipal bonfires as the ones currently operated in the Council area are a great success.Belfast City Council at Halloween use renewable material in their bonfires which burn brightly but safely and whose residue can be re-cycled as a fertiliser. The grass is covered in sand which protects the ground.
The ‘Beacon’ is 5 metres in height and is a steel framed pyramid shaped object. This significantly reduces the clean up costs (which shockingly are expected to run between €400,000-€500,000, money that the Council can ill afford).
This will preserve the tradition of Halloween celebrations where residents do not object to their taking place whilst maintaining safety and environmental considerations.
