Archive for category: Council Meetings (Page 4)

Vote of Congratulations to the Breffni Players

At the March meeting of Leitrim County Council, I proposed a vote of congratulations to our local drama group, the Breffni Players who won the All-Ireland One Act Drama Finals in Ballyduff, Co. Waterford. The Breffni Players, who took first with their performance of the play “Scarecrow” by Don Nigro should be recognised for their achievements, and I would like publically to congratulate all those involved for their continued success and particularly to the Directed Valerie Traynor.

Notice of Motion for the March meeting of Leitrim County Council in the name of Cllr Sinead Guckian.

At the March meeting of Leitrim County Council, I asked for the support of members in calling on the Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources to immediately address the serious concerns previously advised to him, by this Council, regarding the lack of consideration, funding and planning for Group Water Schemes which are served by a public mains, under the Governments new water policy, Water Authority and directives.

This is a very serious matter of concern for every Member of Leitrim County Council.

“In December my colleague Cllr O Rourke, in a report from his SPC meeting, highlighted concerns for Group Water Schemes under the Government’s proposed new Water Authority. With 50% of Water supply in this County serviced by Group schemes and nearly all of these group schemes receiving their water from a public mains, we as members need clarification from the Irish Water Authority as to what would be their role with regard to Leitrim’s Group water schemes.

In January members received correspondence from the Irish Water Authority (Bord Gais) saying they will have no impact on Group Schemes. Again members raised concerns as to where this would leave all the group schemes throughout Leitrim supplied by a public mains. In February we still had no clarification from the Minister and it is extremely disappointing that Group Schemes within the County are still left without knowing how they will be treated with the introduction of the new authority and if they will be expected to pay a higher price for their water than everyone else.” “Therefore I am looking for the support of members in calling on the Minister to immediately address the serious concerns previously advised to him, by this Council, regarding the lack of consideration, funding and planning for Group Water Schemes which are served by a public mains

I outlined that it was my understanding, with correspondence the Council have received to date and lack of same, that there are no clear plans for what will happen to Group Water Schemes supplied by a public mains, under the newly proposed Water Authority.

The Director of Services advised to-nights meeting that it is expected that Group Schemes served by a public main will have a bulk meter attached to the scheme and will be billed by the new water authority based on this bulk meter. The Director also advised, when questioned, that this process would mean that group schemes would incur a higher cost for their water as they will have to absorb the scheme costs as well as the public water cost biled by the new water authority, when introduced. I outlined that this is unacceptable and extremely worrying, “families are already struggling. It is also extremely worrying that the Director has advised that there is no funding for the Council to “Take in Charge” any group schemes and therefore they will remain outside of the public network going forward”.

“Houses all over the County received a little blue brochure in the post, since our last meeting, which tells us that “Water provision is undergoing radical reform in order to conserve it, improve its quality and cut delivery costs.” but there is no mention of who will maintain the schemes to 50% of our users in Leitrim and if they will be paying twice for it.

I welcomed the support from all the members in calling on the Minster to rectify and clarify this unacceptable situation. She also welcomed members acknowledgement that this is a very serious issue that effects our County.

QUESTIONS

At the March meeting of Leitrim County Council, I asked the Director of Services, Infrastructure
have the forestry Authorities adhered to the Hedge cutting notices issues by the Council last September and completed hedge cutting on their lands. There were a number of locations identified by Elected members were forestry hedges were overhanging roads and considered dangerous to motorists and pedestrians. There is a huge obligation on private land owners to adhere to the rules and notices, the same should apply to the forestry Authorities.

REPLY Notices continue to be served on landowners where hedges are considered to constitute a danger to public safety. The Council is experiencing difficulties in identifying the legal owners of some Forestry lands. Unfortunately the relevant Department has been unable to provide the Council with the necessary details due to Data Protection issues. The Council will continue to pursue this matter. Any information on the ownership of such lands would be useful.

I raised this question under correspondence and requested that this matter needs to be pursued to ensure actions are taken.

RE: Ireland West Aiport Knock

Cllr Guckian calls for a fairer and more balanced approached, by Government, to Aviation within Ireland and she fully supports the concerns raised by Ireland West Airport Knock, following that governments announcement today.
Speaking at the December meeting of Leitrim County Council, Cllr Guckian advised she fully supports a call by Ireland West Airport Knock for a more balanced and fair approach to Aviation within the County, by Government. Cllr Guckian advised that Knock Airport is extremely important to the sustainability and growth of both economic and tourism industries in the north west, as well as an important facility for the people of the north west. She advised her call was for balance and fairness.
Cllr Guckian advised that it was her, understanding that the decision by Gov, to intervene with such a generous cash injection to Shannon did not serve the interests of national aviation.

-Cllr Guckian acknowledged the importance of Shannon airport but advised that she believed that the Governments decision today avoids any attempt to benchmark and look for value for money, and value for the tax payer.

-She said she was disappointed that Government ignored their own aviation advisers, who in a report to Government earlier this year stated that the Government should not proceed with a support package for Shannon before developing a coherent policy towards airports for the country as a whole.

Notice of Motion in the name of Cllr Sinead Guckian

At the December meeting of Leitrim County Council I will ask for the support of Members in calling on the Minister for Finance to introduce a new tax credit scheme for participants who want to carry out improvement works on their primary residence. The terms of this scheme could be subject to having to engage with a registered tax compliant contractor. This tax credit scheme would encourage people to improve their homes and this in turn would assist as a stimulus for the building industry.

Councillor Sinead Guckian speaking at tonight’s meeting said,
last year she had a motion which was supported by all members, calling on the Government to introduce a tax credit system for volunteering, to encourage people to volunteer in their communities and to acknowledge the huge work that volunteers do within their counties, particularly in a County like Leitrim.
Unfortunately, Cllr Guckian advised that to her knowledge, no action has been taken by Government, on this proposal to date. She hopes that this new proposal to introduce a new tax credit scheme for participants who want to carry out improvement works on their primary residence, would be seen by Government as an achievable and would be looked on more favourably .
Cllr Guckian outlined that we all know that the economy is suffering from very weak overall levels of consumer spending, and in some small way a tax credit of, even up to €2,500 being made available for home improvement works, would stimulate this suffering building sector.
The terms of the tax credits could be subject to home owners engaging with a registered, tax compliant contractor.

Cllr Guckian believes that this new Tax Credit system would be revenue enhancing for the State.

Questions in the Name of Cllr Sinead Guckian
At the December meeting of Leitrim County Council I will ask the Director of Services, Infrastructure what is the up to date position regarding my motion of April 2010, to request a meeting with the NRA to address the incorrect road markings on approach to the last Roundabout on the Dromod Roosky bypass. Vehicles approaching this roundabout travelling towards Longford are advised, by road markings on entrance to the roundabout, that the left lane is for cars turning left and the right lane is for cars turning left or right. However, as there is only one lane off the Roundabout onto the Longford N4 road, vehicles in the right lane should not be advised by the road markings that they can make a left turn also, as there is no markings to allow them to merge with the left lane. This is quite dangerous and to date no changes have been made to the road markings since April 2010.
REPLY :The roundabout in question is in County Longford.Leitrim Council will raise the matter again with the NRA and Longford County Council and will revert to the Councillor with the outcomes of this discussion.
Councillor Sinead Guckian requested that contact would be made as soon as possible as it was April 2010 when this matter was first raised by her and a solution to the problem is long overdue.

Question in the Name of Cllr Sinead Guckian
At the December meeting of Leitrim County Council, I will ask the Director of Services, Infrastructure if contact can be made with Waterways Ireland requesting that they provide safety measures at the boat Slip-way at Drumsna Harbour. Currently the gradient of the slipway into the Shannon, the section at the water edge, is not sufficiently deep to allow for safe launching of small boats and also there is no safety rail or wall to accommodate safe ascending of or descending into boats that use the slipway.
REPLY: The matter will be brought to the attention of Waterways Ireland as requested.
Councillor Sinead Guckian welcomed the reply.

QUESTION: At the September meeting of Leitrim County Council I will ask the Director of Services, Infrastructure to facilitate my previous request; to assist the residents at Correen, Dublin Rd, Carrick on Shannon, to upgrade the existing water pipeline so they can connect to the main water line.

REPLY: While the proposed upgrade of the water main at this location is desirable there is no funding available for this work and as a consequence Leitrim County Council is not in a position to assist the residents at this time.

Councillor Sinead Guckian – 03/09/2012

DEBATE ON MOTION: Cllr Guckian did not accept the reply and outlined that in previous representation to the Council she had requested that at a minimum that costing would be undertaken on the project. Since the abolition of the local improvement road scheme by the current government, residents on private roads have no mechanism of state funding to assist with the maintenance and upkeep of roads, although termed private roads they are generally completely open to the public to access. Residents in this area are considering funding the repairs themselves and the local area engineers office has suggested that the road maintenance, if funded privately, could be done in conjunction with the drainage works that the Council need to carry at the entrance to this road on the N4. It has been brought to my attention that the current water line in this area is insufficient for purpose and therefore it would be appropriate that consideration would be given to addressing same when all the other proposed work is being carried out as alternatively if the proposed works go ahead without the water pipes then they will have to be redone when the water main is upgraded, which would be a dublication of work and a waste of money. I asked the Director of services to cost the water main project and provide the details of the costing to the Councillors and to residents to see if any solution can be met in the near future.

QUESTIONS:

At the September meeting of Leitrim County Council I will ask the Director of Services, Infrastructure to address the difficulties at the junction of L7426-2 with the R299 Drumsna/Kiltoghert road at Mullaun. Vehicles exiting the L7426-2 cannot see the traffic on the R299 and cannot exit this junction safely. This is a blind exit. If necessary I would request that a “low cost Safety Measure” grant be sought immediately to address this dangerous situation.

REPLY: The location in question can be included for consideration in a future “Low Cost Safety Scheme” depending on the level of funding available and the priorities at the time.

Councillor Sinead Guckian welcomes that this junction will be taken into consideration for a low cost safety measure. As I outlined above I have great concerns for users of this junction and the difficulties that motorists experiencing when exiting same. Given the volume of traffic on the Kiltoghert road heading towards Drumsna, it is important that this item be given priority.

- 03/09/2012

QUESTION: At the September meeting of Leitrim County Council I will ask the Director of Services, Infrastructure to request the NRA to drop the existing curb on the traffic island on the centre of the N4, opposite Annaduff Church. The current level of the “stepped” kerb on the island is too high to accommodate the provision of safe crossing for those with pushchairs or wheelchair users or cyclists. Given the facilities, in constant use by pedestrians, in this location and its proximity to the National School, it is important that this work would be carried out as a matter of urgency to ensure safe pedestrian crossing for all users.

REPLY: The concerns outlined will be referred to the NRA who are responsible for the maintenance of Traffic Calming Schemes.

Councillor Sinead Guckian – 03/09/2012 I welcome the reply and request that this matter is followed up as soon as possible.

Speaking at tonight’s meeting Cllr Guckian raised the following issues surrounding the Budget 2012 cuts to education

-Investing in education and our youth is crucial to our countries economic recovery.

-47% of the 3,200 primary schools in the state have 5 teachers or fewer so the Governments proposed cuts will have a huge impact on small rural schools.

In Leitrim the protection of our small schools is a critical issue for all of us all, the large numbers that turned out the public meeting in Ballinamore last week confirm the importance of this motion.

Increasing the class sizes in small rural schools and the proposed amalgamation of rural schools, will have enormous impact on our rural communities, our culture and the education of our children and I believe this is just one of the actions of budget 2012 that unfairly targets rural communities.

-Our small schools are at the heart of our rural communities and also play a vital role in fostering Irish identity and supporting minority faiths. They are the link for our GAA clubs and our rural communities.

At a minimum priority should be given to ensuring resources are available for children from disadvantaged areas and those with special needs at an early stage. This is not only important from an equality perspective but also has the potential to deliver considerable cost savings to the State in the long-run.

The Government’s plans to introduce phased staffing cuts in small schools with under 5 teachers is a huge concern

Over the past decade or so, under the FF Government, there was a very substantial increase in the resources provided to small schools both in teacher numbers, teaching support staff and in the physical infrastructure.

These were the right decisions as our local schools are an irreplaceable part of counties life. We should be protecting our small schools as a valued part of our culture.

Research shows, over the past decade, where other countries took the approach of bussing children long distances in order to meet idealised efficiency standards Ireland retained the community school link as a core feature.  We need to continue to retain that link. Our population patterns and population dispersal is very different to that of most European countries.

Research also shows that smaller schools have a greater parental involvement.

I acknowledge that savings must be made in the current climate but I believe that there is a fairer and more economically-strategic way to secure such savings;

Call on Government to- reverse these short-sighted cuts in the interests of promoting equity of access to education and prioritising expenditure in areas likely to be of major benefit to our society and economy in the long-term.

Copy of Questions and replies in the name of Cllr Sinead Guckian

Questions:-

1)       At the February meeting of Leitrim County Council, I will ask the Director of Services if contact has been made with Waterways Ireland to request them to carry out immediate repair on the Quay, at Drumsna. The Shannon’s water level, for the past 3 years, has risen over the quay wall and flooded the land. The concrete paving, where the boat moorings are located, has been severely damaged and eroded, leaving it’s the surface dangerous and unsightly. This work must be carried out prior to the boating tourism season commencing this year.

REPLY: The Quay wall in Drumsna is the responsibility of Waterways Ireland and the issues raised by the Councillor will be raised with WaterWays Ireland as a matter of urgency.

Cllr Guckian welcomes this reply and requests that the work is carried out imediately

2)      At the February meeting of Leitrim County Council, I will ask the County Manager if the Council has any discretion with regard to including The Grange housing estate, Drumsna, on the House Hold Tax exemption list for unfinished estates. The decision of the Government to exclude this unfinished estate from an exemption, giving the estates planning attachment to Oak Meadows, demonstrates further the inequality of the policy being applied.

REPLY: The exemption list was formulated by the Department and the Council has no discretion in this regard. While the planning applications for Oak Meadows and The Grange are related, the estates are seperate estates and would be subject to separate planning enforcement considerations. In addition, the Grange is considered to be substantially complete, (subject to completion of outstanding works to common areas eg wearing course) while Oak Meadows requires significant works to bring it to a substantial level of completion.

Cllr Guckian believes that the Minister needs to address the inequality in policy surrounding this new household tax. It is not acceptable, for example, that residents are expected to replace the bulbs in the public lights in their estate and pay EUR100 Household charge.

Notice of Motion : -

At the September meeting of Leitrim County Council, I will ask for the support of members in calling on the Minister for Education to request the National Council for Curriculum & Assessment (NCCA) to consider, the inclusion of the Irish Novels of Author Anthony Trollope on the English syllabus for Post Primary Education.

The curriculum for Ireland’s primary and post-primary schools is determined by the Minister for Education and Science who is advised by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.

The curriculum sets out not only what is to be taught, but how, and how learning in the particular subject area is to be assessed. Secondary school cycle is currently undergoing a significant phase of review

I feel the suggestion of inclusion is apropriate as it is well Documented that Trollope’s take on Irish life is not only well-observed, but in a sense, very respectful of Irish society. His Irish Novels have been acknowledged as an important source material for scholars working in diverse fields of literary and cultural studies. Many Academics have identified these writings, more than any of his contemporaries,  as a study material for scholars from disciplines outside literary studies.

So I would ask for the support of members in calling on the Minister for Education to request the National Council for Curriculum & Assessment (NCCA) to consider, the inclusion of the Irish Novels of Author Anthony Trollope on the English syllabus for Post Primary Education.

I would also ask, that we contact President Macaleese’s office outlining our suggestion and requesting, if appropriate a letter of support from the President.
As it was the President, herself, who acknowledged and highlighted this on the occasion of official opening of the Anthony Trollope Trail in Drumsna.

QUESTIONS:-

QUESTION:-At the October meeting of Leitrim County Council, I ask the Director of Services, Infrastructure what is the up to date position regarding the agreed work of detailed structural inspections and reports on the bridges in Drumsna and Jamestown, that was to be carried out this year as part of the national survey of all Regional Road bridges.

REPLY FROM DIRECTOR: – Unfortunately the NRA have cancelled the Bridge Inspection Programme due to lack of resources and accordingly no detailed inspections of the bridges in question have been undertaken.

IN RESPONSE to the reply Councillor Sinead Guckian has spoken with the Director of Services and expressed her outrage that this project which was to be rolled out in eleven counties throughout the country, which was confirmed earlier in the year by Government, has now been cancelled. This is unacceptable, the inspections in this county are way over due never mind the repairs works that will no doubt need to be carried out as a result of inspection. It is unacceptable that the whole program for every county has now been scrapped, and it is very worrying that funding has been withdrawn.

QUESTION :At the October meeting of Leitrim County Council, I will ask the Carrick Area Engineer to erect appropriate road signs at the junction of the Effrinagh road with the Annaghbradican Road and the Gowel/Annahearly road. When travelling on the Effrinagh road(LP3437-2), past the Swan Bar the road splits into two roads, one towards Gowel/Annahearly(LP3437-1)and the other a more minor road goes towards Annaghbradican(LS7422-0). There are no road signs on either road indicating “right of way” or “yield” and local residents have requested that this would be addressed immediately to prevent further accidents.

REPLY BY CARRICK ENGINEER:-An inspection of the junction in question has been undertaken. The junction would benefit from alignment improvements and these can be considered for inclusion under the low cost safety scheme. Additional signage will be provided as an interim measure.

RESPONSE: Councillor Sinead Guckian, in response, welcomes this proposal of additional signs and welcomes the inclusion of this junction in the “low cost safety scheme” funding application.