Wicklow County Councillors vote to support cuts to front-line services

Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillors John Brady and John Snell have
expressed bitter disappointment at Wicklow County Councils vote to
reject a motion demanding that the government reverse its decision to
cut the funding to Wicklow County Council by €1,476,651.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Brady said "It bitterly disappointing
that Wicklow County Councillors could not adopt a motion calling on
the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government Phil
Hogan TD to reverse the cuts in the Local Government Fund and restore
adequate funding for local democracy and the provision of Council
services to our citizens and communities.'

Brady went onto say “Cllr Snell and i had tabled the emergency motion
in response to the decision of the Minister for Environment, Community
and Local Government Phil Hogan to slash funding for the Council based
on the level of Household Charge collection to date. Only 65% of
Wicklow residents have paid the unfair tax, this is something i had
warned would happen and now the Government wants to impose a
collective punishment on all residents by cutting the council funding
by €1,476,651"

Cllr Snell continued "Wicklow Councillors had the opportunity at the
meeting on Monday to do something constructive to oppose the cuts that
are being imposed on the council. Myself and my party colleague John
Brady tabled a similar motion to the one which was unanimously
supported by Dublin City Council, unfortunately our motion was
defeated by 14 votes to 5 and 1 abstained. These councillors must now
stand over the cut of €1,476,651 and the impact it will have on
front-line services."

Cllr Brady concluded by saying "The debate in Wicklow County Council
came on the very same day the Government handed over another
€600million to bondholders, this alone could have funded all local
authorities in the State for several years. The scale of the cuts to
the council will result in cuts to the provision of Council services
to our citizens and communities, services such as libraries, recycling
centres, parks, playground, housing and roads. The decision the
majority of councillors in Wicklow took to vote against the Sinn Fein
motion has given the all clear to Phil Hogan and the Government to
continue their attacks on front-line services".

Emergency Motion which was rejected by Wicklow County Council at the
meeting  on 3rd September 2012.

In light of the impending financial crisis facing Wicklow County
Council and local authorities throughout this State, Wicklow County
Council calls on the Minister for Environment, Community and Local
Government Phil Hogan TD to reverse the cuts in the Local Government
Fund and restore adequate funding for local democracy and the
provision of Council services to our citizens and communities.

We deplore the Circular from the Minister's Department to all local
authorities announcing further reductions in the Local Government Fund
and linking reductions of funding for individual Councils, including
Wicklow County Council, to the level of collection of the inequitable
and uncollectible Household Charge.

We call for the replacement of the Household Charge with a reformed,
equitable system of funding for Local Government based on sound
economic realities and experience in other countries, including
reference to an ability to pay and we warn against the imposition of a
further unjust charge based on the market value of homes and without
regard to ability to pay.

Brady welcomes Funding approval for Oldcourt Fire Safety Remedial Scheme

Wicklow Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has welcomed the approval by
the Department of the Environment for Bray Town Council to use
Internal Capital Receipts monies to carry out the long awaited fire
safety works in the fire prone Oldcourt housing estate in Bray.

Cllr Brady who has spearheaded the campaign for the fire safety works
to be carried out said "I received confirmation only this week that
the Department of the Environment has given Bray Town Council the go
ahead for the fire safety works in the Oldcourt Estate. The residents
and i have been campaigning now for many years to have the the serious
fire safety issues that exist in the houses addressed. I am glad to
say this is the beginning of the end for this campaign and both the
residents and myself have been vindicated in our views about the
safety of the houses and most importantly the work will shortly
commence on making the houses safer".

Cllr Brady went onto say "Now that the funding has been secured it is
expected that a tender will be issued to the Framework Panel of
Contractors. A report on the tendering process is expected by the end
of September and i would be hopeful that work within the estate should
being late this year"

Brady continued  "This news is very welcome and its been a long
coming. Problems within the estate initially arose after the estate
underwent a major refurbishment scheme in the 1980's, it has seen
numerous fires and fatalities since the work was carried out. Seven
people have lost their lives to fires in the Oldcourt Estate in the
last two decades. In 2005 i succeeded in having an independent fire
safety audit carried out. The findings of the audit which were
published in 2007 returned a damning verdict on the houses and
outlined a substantial number of things that needed to be done in the
houses to make them safer. This report has formed the basis for the
successful application to the Department and the identified issues
along with energy efficiency works will be addressed in the scheme.
Once complete the council housing stock in Oldcourt will meet all the
current housing regulations and will have a higher energy rating than
most modern homes"

Cllr Brady concluded "It is estimated the scheme will cost several
million euro and this will be drawn down from the councils own
internal capital receipts. I am however pressing to have the 20% of
homes that are privately owned included in the scheme if the owners
request. These residents bought their homes from the council in good
faith only to find out subsequently that there was serious structural
issue within them, i believe the council has a responsibly to these
residents too that should be honoured. I hope that the work now
proceeds as quickly as possible to ensure the estate is made safe and
brought up to the highest standards".

Fine Gael throw Wicklow TD to the wolves in kite flying attempt

Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has sharply criticized Fine
Gael's kite flying attempt on property charges. Wicklow back bencher
Andrew Doyle took to the airwaves and stated that there would be a
minimum payment under the new property charges for everyone
irrespective as to whether they were a home owner or not. But Sinn
Féin has claimed that this should not be the debate and that the real
issues in closing the deficit are introducing a wealth tax and dealing
with bondholders and Bank debit

Cllr Brady stated "Wicklow Fine Gael TD Andrew Doyle was yesterday
thrown to the wolves by his party in an attempt to fly a kite on the
issue of property charges. Deputy Doyle stated on East Coast Radio
that there would be a minimum payment for all when the charges come in
next year and that this would include people renting privately and
council tenants despite the fact that they are not house owners."

Cllr Brady stated "There has been a lot of debate on Deputy Doyle's
comments, however i believe we are having the wrong debate completely.
Sinn Féin oppose any form of property tax. The best and most fair way
forward is to introduce a wealth tax as it takes account of ability to
pay, not introducing a blunt instrument that does not take account any
personal circumstances. The idea of extending a property tax to people
in council houses or in private rented accommodation is again turning
to some of the most vulnerable in our society who are experiencing the
brunt end of the cuts and taxes introduced by Fine Gael, Labour and
their Fianna Fáil predecessors. You cant get blood from a stone and in
this case you cant get money from people who are struggling to put
bread on the table and keep the wolves from the door. We need to have
a real debate on the issue of taxation, we need to start focusing on
the need to broaden the tax take and those who can afford to pay a
little more."

Cllr Brady continued "The Government nor Deputy Doyle have mentioned
any linking of their proposed tax with ability to pay or the taxes
already paid on the property, its merely an attempt to squeeze more
from the same people time and time again. Sinn Féin’s wealth tax is a
more equitable proposal which links ability to pay with a percentage
tax on all property, physical, material and financial, over €1
million. Our wealth tax allows 20% write-off of the value of the
principal residence. It is estimated to bring in €800 million in a
full year."

Cllr Brady concluded "Unfortunately Andrew Doyle has been thrown to
the wolves on this issue and he has taken the rightful criticism for
the party, however i believe that this was a kite flying exercise by
the Fine Gael top brass and Deputy Doyle is the one that has got
savaged. What is needed is a shift in attitudes and policy, yes we
need to close the deficit but not by imposing more misery on people
that are already badly hurting." 

Ambulance cuts in Wicklow will put lives at risk - Brady

Ambulance cuts in Wicklow will put lives at risk - Brady


Wicklow Sinn Fein councillor John Brady has voiced serious concerns
about the new rostering for the ambulance service that covers county
Wicklow. The new rosters are being implemented by the National
Ambulance Service to reflect the reduction of weekly working hours
from 40 to 39 and a ban on over time imposed by the HSE. Cllr Brady
said it will inevitably put lives at risk and lead to longer response
times from a vastly reduced service.

Brady was speaking after being briefed by Ambulance personnel on the
cuts "Under the new working arrangements due to come into force at the
beginning of September the working week will be cut from 40 hours to
39 hours, there will also be a ban on overtime. The HSE have told the
Ambulance Service that the new roster has to be achieved using
existing staff numbers. The net result is under the new rostering
arrangements a number of ambulance bases in Wicklow wont be staffed on
certain days of the week. Ambulance personal have informed me for
example that they will have no one available to operate the base or
ambulances from the Arklow base on a Monday because of the new
roster."

Cllr Brady continued "Currently there are serious problems with the
ambulance service right across Wicklow and a number of months ago i
met with senior management in the National Ambulance Service to
discuss the problems facing the service in the south of Wicklow and
presented them a petition containing thousands of signatures demanding
a better service. Under these new arrangements it will make a bad
situation worse and it will inevitably put lives at risk and lead to
longer response times from a vastly reduced service."

“As an elected representative I am asking what I believe is a
reasonable question - is the service that they are leaving behind
sufficient or able to cover the growing population of Wicklow? The
ambulance service that covers Wicklow operates from bases in
Loughlinstown, Wicklow Town, Arklow and Baltinglass, in 2010 they
responded to a total of 3577 calls, they are already at breaking point
and rely on ambulances from neighbouring counties to assist in
providing a basic level of cover, these cuts will however be the final
nail if implemented" Brady continued

Cllr Brady went on to say “In my opinion the HSE are gambling with
people’s lives. They are cutting the ambulance service and leaving
areas such as Arklow with no cover. It is not acceptable that other
areas will have to try fill that gap as well as provide cover in their
own areas. These cuts coupled with the planned closure of the 24hour
A&E in St. Columcilles Hospital, Loughlinstown will put lives on the
line and must be rejected. I have wrote to the HSE and Minister for
Health James Reilly seeking immediate answers on this life and death
matter."

Wicklow Businesses need to be cautious after attempts to extort money using Katie Taylor's boxing clubs name

Sinn Féin councillors John Brady and Rossa Murray have warned
businesses in Bray and Wicklow to be cautious of people claiming to be
be carrying out fundraising on behalf of Bray Boxing Club. The club is
home to Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor and fellow Olympian Adam
Nolan.

Cllr Brady said "I am calling on businesses in Bray and Wicklow to be
very cautious of unscrupulous people trying to cash in on Katie
Taylor's fantastic achievement in the Olympics.  A number of
businesses in Bray have been contacted over the last couple of days by
an individual claiming to be carrying out a fundraiser on behalf of
Bray Boxing club, he is asking them for large sums of money for some
sort of production that will be used to raise funds for the gym.
However after speaking to the club chairperson and other members it
has been made clear that the club has given no authorisation to anyone
to use the clubs good name for any reason, fundraising or otherwise"

Cllr Murray went onto say "It appears people are trying to piggyback
on the success of Katie in the Olympics for their own selfish end. In
my mind this is a fraudulent attempt to extort money from hard hit
businesses by using the clubs name".

Cllr Brady ended by saying "The facilities the club had been training
from have been widely reported on over the course of the Olympics,
however a lot of that had been misinformation. The gym has recently
had extensive renovations which has seen a toilet and shower
installed, this has seen the club gym totally transformed. The
individuals using the clubs name are trying to exploit the goodwill
and generosity towards the club show by the public and businesses and
people need to be very cautious. Unfortunately there are vultures
hovering over Bray Boxing Club at the moment in an attempt to line
their own pockets and people should not be taken in as the club will
certainly not see a penny of it".

Bray held its breath for Katie’s gold: Cllr John Brady.

Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor, John Brady, congratulated Katie Taylor
on her Olympic gold medal victory and said that the town of Bray held
its breath waiting for the judges’ decision.

 “Success does not come easy and here in Bray, the people who know her
best know that Katie worked hard and long for her wonderful
achievement.

“Everyone in the town was here watching on the big screens in
Ballywaltrim and we held our breath waiting for the decision. When the
ref raised her hand, the roar that went up from the crowd of over
10,000 was phenomenal and it wasn’t just joy, it was relief too. It
was such a hard bout.

“Anyone who thinks that women’s boxing is some kind of paler version
of the men’s sport, got their answer. Her opponent was tough but Katie
had the beating of her and we are as proud as punch here in her home
town, her home county,” he said.

“I am delighted for Katie her dad Pete and her mum Bridget and all the
family. I know the hard work they all have put in over the years to
see this dream come true. I hope now the powers to be will sit up and
start investing in sports such as boxing and that facilities will be
put in place. It has been a battle in the past to get recognition for
Bray Boxing club and many obstacles had been put in place over the
years and I am glad that I supported Pete and the club over many years
and succeeded in securing their gym at Bray harbour and indeed more
recently getting the toilets and showers installed”

Cllr Brady concluded “Katie is a great role model for many thousands
of children and she has showed that anyone irrespective where they
might come from can have and dream and see it come true. She has done
the Oldcourt Estate, Ballywaltrim, Bray, Wicklow and indeed Ireland
proud and I am looking forward to welcoming her Pete and Bridget home
to Bray on Monday next” Ends

Wicklow County Council funding to be cut by €1.47million by Phil Hogan

Wicklow Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady, has said that Local
Government Minister Phil Hogan is "attacking local democracy" by
imposing further cuts in funding for councils, linking these cuts to
the Household Charge. Wicklow County Council has received confirmation 
from Minister Phil Hogan that the Local Government Fund paid to
the Council is to be cut by €1.47million.


Cllr Brady said "Minister Hogan and his colleagues in the Fine
Gael/Labour Coalition are mounting an assault on local democracy. By
tying local government funding to the un-collectable and inequitable
Household Charge the coalition is putting councils in an impossible
financial position. He is now going to impose further cuts in central
government allocations for councils for the remainder of 2012.

"At the time of Budget 2012 Sinn Féin said clearly that the cut to the
Local Government Fund was unsustainable, that the Household Charge was
unjust and would be widely boycotted and that by making local
government dependent on receipts from the Household Charge, the
coalition was going to undermine services across the board. This is
now taking place and it is citizens in Wicklow and across this State
who are paying the price for the coalition's dogged pursuit of a
failed policy of austerity."

Cllr Brady concluded "  Fine Gael/Labour are to cut the funding to
Wicklow County Council by €1.47million for 2012, this is on top of
previous cuts already imposed. This will have a direct impact on
front-line services unless its rejected. I am asking for an emergency
meeting of Wicklow County Council to be held to discuss the financial
crisis that is now pending in Wicklow because of this attack on local
democracy inflicted by this Government."