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."

Bray Town Council to Demolish Property they purchased for €6.1 Million

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has expressed concerns and said
serious questions needed to be answered following confirmation by Bray
Town Council that they are to demolish Kilbride House on Kilbride Lane
in Bray. The house makes up part of a site that the council purchased
using a compulsory purchase order a number of years ago and paid
€6.1million for. It was intended on using the site to construct badly
need social housing, however the Government is refusing to provide any
funding for this purpose.

Cllr Brady said "The Town Manager confirmed at Tuesdays council
meeting that he intends on demolishing Kilbride House on Kilbride
Lane. I am bitterly disappointed at this decision because this site
was purchased at the height of the so called 'Celtic Tiger' and the
council paid an incredible €6.1 million for. The land around the house
was always intended for the construction of housing, unfortunately the
government is now refusing to allow the construction of any new social
housing under their new housing policies"

Cllr Brady continued "Since this property was purchased it has lay in
a state of dereliction, a caretaker had been residing in the main
house but a number of months ago he moved out of the area. The
property has since lay empty and open for anti-social behaviour. I
recently had the council secure the property by placing shutters on
the windows and doors in an attempt to curtail the anti social
behaviour and to try stop the house getting ransacked and burnt to the
ground"

"The Town Manager has now decided to demolish the property, i have
major concerns about this. The over priced site was purchased for €6.1
million and was valued based on the existence of the house on the
site, which going on the value of property at the time was probably
valued at over €1.5million. It is unbelievable that the council now
wants to demolish something they paid so much for rather than to deal
with the real problem"

Cllr Brady went onto say "I have argued that yes we need to stop the
problems on site and the way to do that would be by giving the house
to a community group on a short term lease so the property would be
occupied which would stop any anti social issues. The council have
tried to justify the demolition of the house by saying the house is in
a poor state of repair, i totally disagree with this as i was recently
in the property and yes some small works may be needed but certainly
nothing that would warrant its destruction. I think at this stage the
files on this particular purchase by the council need to be opened so
we can see how the figure of €6.1 million was arrived at and what
value was placed on the house itself."

Brady concluded "Demolishing this property is the easy option by the
council and amounts to little more than the squandering of tax payers
money. There are more constructive things that should and could be
done with this property whilst we are waiting for a reversal of the
flawed housing policies of this Government. Turning the site into a
€6.1 million wasteland will only lead to more problems for local
residents and will amount to a total and utter waste of taxpayers
money."

Sinn Féin welcomes Anti Household Charge Protesters to Bray Town Council Meeting

Sinn Féin councillors John Brady and Rossa Murray welcomed campaigners
against the unfair Household Charge to Bray Town Councils July monthly
meeting which was held on Tuesday last. The protest which was held
outside the council meeting was timed to coincide with the threatening
letters that have been send out to those people who have failed to pay
the €100 stealth tax. A large group of Sinn Féin supports had joined
in with the protest outside the council meeting to show their
continued opposition to the charge. Towards the end of the protest a
small group broke away and proceeded to enter the council chamber and
interrupt the council meeting.

Speaking after the protest Cllr John Brady stated "Following the first
round of threatening letters that were sent out earlier this week a
protest had been organised to send a clear message to the government
parties that bully boy tactics that are being used by Fine Gael and
Labour simply wont work, the 50% of Wicklow residents who have not
paid the stealth tax done so because of the unfairness of it and
because they simply cant afford it. The protest outside the council
meeting on Tuesday had been joined by a large group of Sinn Féin
members and supports"

Cllr Brady continued "Towards the end of the protest a section of the
protesters broke away and proceeded to enter the council chamber where
the council meeting was taking place. The protesters put across their
message loud and clear, much to the dislike of the majority of the
establishment councillors. The officials and all the councillors
present proceeded to stand up and leave the council chamber with the
exception of the two Sinn Féin councillors myself and councillor
Rossa Murray. We stayed in the chamber and listened to the protest as
we agree on the issue of which formed their protest"

Cllr Murray stated "As someone who has stated publically that i was
not going to pay the Household charge i sat and listened to the
legitimate concerns of the protesters. Dragging ordinary people
through the courts for non payment of the unfair charge stinks of
hypocrisy, the people who have brought this state to its knees are
free to continue living their lavish lifestyles whilst the ordinary
people are forced to pay the cost. The other councillors at the
meeting ran and hid probably because they could not face the truth
from the people on the ground who are hurting because of the policies
of austerity"

Cllr Brady went onto say "The loud protest in the council chamber
lasted about 20 minutes and after the Gardaí were called i addressed
the protesters and welcomed them into the council chamber and stated
that i fully supported their legitimate concerns and i and Sinn Féin
also support the abolishment of the household charge. I also stated
that i had raised the issue of the threatening letters at the council
meeting in Wicklow county council the day before and had voiced my
opposition and Sinn Feins opposition to the charge continuously at
council meetings and had brought a number of motions to that effect
before the councils."

Cllr Brady concluded "The protest ended after Cllr Murray and i gave
assurances that the issue of the household charge and the threatening
letters would be on the agenda and discussed at the next council
meeting. The message that the protest did send out to the government
parties was that they had brought in the unpopular charges and they
had to face up to their policies and try to justify them as opposed to
running and hiding. I look forward to the next council meeting where
the issue will be debated and will again welcome the protesters to
listen to the debate."

Wicklow Olympians and Paralympians need to be honoured equally by the County Council

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has welcomed the inclusion of two
Wicklow athletes in the London 2012 Paralympic Games which will take
place between 29 August and 9 September 2012. He has also called on
Wicklow County Council to make a financial contribution to the
athletes to help cover some of the costs incurred whilst representing
their County at the games. Recently Wicklow County Council made awards
of €2,500 each to the four Olympians from Wicklow who will participate
in the summer Olympics.

Cllr Brady said "Wicklow is going to be very well represented in the
Olympics and the Paralympics in London over the coming weeks, in all
we will have six athletes representing us. This is an extraordinary
achievement and i am very proud of each and everyone of them. Whilst
there is a lot of focus on the Olympics which starts on July 27th, we
must also be very proud of our Paralympians. The Paralympics are held
every four years in parallel with the Olympic Games, this is the
premier multisport event for elite athletes with a disability. The
standards are equally high for these games and are for those who reach
elite standards of performance."

Cllr Brady went onto say " Recently following a request from myself
Wicklow County Council awarded €2500 to each of the four Olympians
from Wicklow. This was unspent money from the conference budget of
2011. This was a small gesture to try help the athletes out in the run
up to the games, and i felt it would be better than another civic
reception. Now that the Irish Paralympic team for London 2012 has been
named and Wicklow has 2 athletes in the squad i am calling on the
council to make the same gesture to them."

Cllr Brady concluded " It is a fantastic achievement for any athlete
to represent their County on the largest sporting stage in the world
and for Wicklow to have six is certainly going to give us all
something to cheer for over the summer months. On Monday the Bray
Olympic Committee which i am a member of will be unveiling our planned
programme to get behind the athletes and hopefully everyone throughout
Wicklow will do likewise. I hope Wicklow County Council will treat all
our athletes equally and make an equal financial contribution to our
two Paralympian heroes."

The Government must re-examine rent allowance cuts - Brady

The Government’s approach to the cut in rent allowance is ill thought
out, and has created a great deal of fear and anxiety among those in
receipt of the payment. That’s according to Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor 
John Brady who is calling on the Government to re-examine the decision, 
made in the 2012 Budget, to cut the rent supplement by €22m leading to
new rent limits being set.

Cllr Brady said “Although this cut was announced in Budget 2012, it is
only now that families and individuals are receiving their review
letters informing them of these new limits. This has left many
families extremely worried about their future. Many of them found it
hard to find a landlord who would accept rent allowance in the first
instance, and will find it very difficult to renegotiate their rent
downwards.”

Cllr Brady continued “Some are facing the prospect of having to move,
and quite often it can be difficult for a tenant to find suitable
accommodation in the same neighbourhood, meaning moving further from
friends and family, or perhaps moving a child to a different school.
It is entirely unfair of the Government to expect such a vulnerable
category of tenants to renegotiate these rents downwards themselves,
when they are in such a poor bargaining position.”

“I believe that the Government need to go to landlords, and negotiate
with them directly on this issue, to ensure that families are not
forced from their homes. Sinn Féin has also consistently argued for
the use of the tens of thousands of NAMA properties which are
currently unused to be used to house those on the housing list, and
those getting rent allowance. However in Wicklow we don't have large
volumes of ghost estates or large quantities of empty housing, so i am
calling on the Minister for Housing Jan O'Sullivan to change the
government policy of not building any more social housing. We have
large tracts of land reserved and in recent years councils in Wicklow
have spent nearly €10m purchasing land in Bray and Greystones. One
site in Bray cost €6.1million alone and is now a haven for antisocial
behaviour and will probably never be used for the purpose it was
purchased which was to try tackle the massive housing list." continued
Cllr Brady

Cllr Brady concluded “The Government’s response to this issue has been
meagre. They have even failed to provide any support and information
as to how to go about asking their landlords for a reduction in their
rent. There are 98,000 people in receipt of Rent Allowance in Ireland,
and this includes all from single parents, to families, to the
elderly, however, they are rarely in a position to play hard ball on
rent. The Government’s number one priority as regards Rental
Accommodation should be ensuring that none of those currently relying
on it will be evicted on account of this decision.”

Call for Dublin Bus to install new bus stop on the Boghall Rd in Bray

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady is calling on Dublin Bus to install a
new bus stop on the Boghall Rd in Bray to serve bus users from the
Oldcourt and surrounding estates and schools which have been left with
no bus stop close by since the cuts to the bus routes in the area.

Speaking after meeting with local bus users councillor Brady said "Bus
users from the Oldcourt estate, local businesses and schools have been
left totally inconvenienced following the recent cuts to the bus
service in the area. The 45 bus route had for many years terminated in
the Oldcourt estate, however this route has been cut and the 45a from
Ballywaltrim now goes down the Boghall road. The bus no longer goes
into the estate, but there is a bus stop just outside the estate for
people going down the Boghall road heading towards Bray. The problem
is on the return journey, the nearest bus stop is at the end of the
Soldiers Rd which is a good distance for people to travel after
exiting"

Cllr Brady continued "I am calling on Dublin Bus to address this
problem by installing a new bus stop adjacent to the Oldcourt estate
and the Lincara Centre on the Boghall Rd heading towards the Killarney
Rd. I am also calling on them to install a bus shelter outside Oldcourt to
facilitate school children and local residents."

Cllr Bray concluded "I think this is the least Dublin Bus can do for
their customers in the area who have had to endure major changes to
their bus service and the loss of the 45 route which was a critical
link to many services. I have contacted Dublin Bus and i am awaiting
what hopefully will be a positive response."

Fine Gael criticized for littering the Garden County

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has sharply criticized Fine Gael for
leaving a litter trail though Wicklow. The Sinn Féin councillor has
said he has been inundated with complaints from people who seen the
Fine Gael people removing their referendum posters and then throwing
the cable ties that had been on the posters on the ground and leaving
them behind.

Speaking after returning from Greystones where residents showed him
the litter trail councillor John Brady said "I am truly shocked that
any political party could have such a total disregard for a community
or a county as what i have witnessed by Fine Gael over the weekend. I
met with concerned residents in Greystones on Saturday after they had
witnessed people who had been removing the Fine Gael referendum
posters throw the cable ties on the ground behind them. This was not
an isolated incident as it happened at every pole they removed a
poster from. I had also a number of calls from residents on the
Southern Cross in Bray who had also witnessed the Fine Gael people
littering in the same manner"

Cllr Brady continued "This litter trail was left behind by the Fine
Gael people on Friday when they removed the posters in Bray before
travelling over Windgates and into Greystones. All along cable ties
that have been cut from the poles by the Fine Gael people have been
left behind thrown on the ground. This is a serious incident in my
opinion, particularly when you think that the Minister for the
Environment is Phil Hogan, a member of Fine Gael. These stupid actions
undo all the great work that is carried out by all the tidy towns
groups and puts the towns at risk of dropping points in the National
Tidy Towns awards when the judging takes place this month"

Cllr Brady concluded "I have contacted Wicklow Fine Gael TD Simon
Harris and reported the issue to him. He has said that the posters had
been erected centrally and that he would have the issue looked into. I
have also reported the issue to Wicklow County Council. If the
littering that was carried out by Fine Gael is not investigated
properly and cleaned up i will have no hesitation in ensuring the
issue is followed up accordingly. Littering is a serious blight on our
landscape and needs to be tackled. All political parties need to be
part of the solution and not the problem"

Sinn Fein representatives express concerns about stability of The Bray Coastal Protection Scheme

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady and the party representative for the
Bray seafront area Melanie McAuley have called on The Minister for
Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD to immediately have
a survey carried out on the Bray coastal protection scheme. The Bray
project was of the most controversial coastal protection schemes to
have been carried out in Wicklow in recent years. The controversial
project is at risk of literally getting washed away and becoming
ineffective.

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady said "The Bray project was of the most
controversial coastal protection schemes to have been carried out in
Wicklow in recent years, Work on the coastal protection scheme began
in 1998, and was completed in 2001 at a cost of £2.5 million. Numerous
residents from the seafront area have been in contact with both myself
and my party colleague Melanie McAuley about the Bray coastal
protection scheme, they have been voicing their concerns on how
unstable it has become over the last eleven years.  It is estimated
that hundreds of tonnes of stone has been washed away leaving the Bray
seafront area vulnerable and the overall protection scheme at risk of
getting totally undermined. The erosion has also made the foreshore on
Bray beach unsafe for walkers and for bathers"

Melanie McAuley the Sinn Féin representative for the seafront area
said "The controversial project which divided the town is now at
serious risk of being totally undermined. The scheme which was
implemented on Bray seafront was chosen because it was deemed to be
the most economical and effective way of protecting the esplanade. The
project seen a rock breakwater southwards from the harbour wall, a
rock groyne eastward from a point on the esplanade near the aquarium
and to build a shingle beach in their lee. Over 250,000 cubic meters
of shingle from the Codling Bank was then deposited on the foreshore.
Hundreds of tonnes of shingle has now been eroded and in some places
the coastal protection has been reduced by over 100meters"

Cllr Brady went onto say "The project was supposed to have been
monitored and replenished over the last 11 years but this simply has
not happened. This has left the projects viability in question leaving
the seafront at risk of flooding and also putting the promenade at
risk. The erosion has also left the foreshore unstable and a public
safety issue. I am calling on the council and the Minister for
Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney to immediately carry
out a survey on the overall project."