Wicklow Sinn Féin to table a motion to reduce the property tax in Wicklow

Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has called on all Wicklow County Councillors to support a Sinn Féin motion to reduce the Local Property Tax by 15%. The motion will be before the council on Monday.

Councillor Brady said "Sinn Féin continues to actively oppose the government's property tax. It is an unfair, unjust tax that puts the burden on middle and low-income households. We are committed to reversing this tax if elected to government. But in the meantime we aim to reduce the burden of this tax for households here in Wicklow by reducing the tax by the most allowed under the current legislation”.

“The motion will be tabled at the council meeting on Monday  will commit Wicklow County Council to supporting the maximum cut of 15% for 2015. Sinn Féin will also defend jobs and local services. We will be working with Councillors across all local authorities to defend funding for local government. We will also be calling on Wicklow TDs to guard against any further cuts to local authorities’ grants.”

"Sinn Féin will be looking for cross party support for our motion this Monday and in our campaign against government cuts. This will be putting money back into people’s pockets, which will benefit the local economy. The property tax is an unjust tax burden on middle and low-income households”.

Brady concluded “Under the legislation the council must undergo a 30 day public consultation regarding the proposed introduction of the tax. This will give householders an opportunity to demand a full reduction of the tax. Wicklow Sinn Féin will be running a campaign to get as many people to make submissions before the closing date which is 25^th August. The responses will be gathered and applied to a report, which will be presented to city Councillors in September and its important as many people as possible let their voices be heard.” Ends

Accountability and answers needed after damming verdict returned at inquest into the deaths of Bray Firefighters

Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillor John Brady was welcomed the unanimous decision of the jury at the coroners court who returned narrative verdicts into the deaths of Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy who died whilst tackling a blaze in Bray on 26th September 2007. The damming verdict of Wicklow County Council was returned after 17 days of evidence, but answers are still needed from senior officials in Wicklow County Council as to why they refused to cooperate fully with the HSA and the Gardaí and why they refused to answer 1300 questions that were put to them.

After the verdict was returned Cllr Brady stated “I fully welcome the Narrative verdict which was unanimously returned by the jury at the inquest into the deaths of Bray firefighters Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy. After listen to the evidence over 17 long days the coroner allowed them mention the risk factors that caused or contributed to the circumstances relating to the men’s deaths. I still however believe that Senior Officials in the County Council have serious questions to answer around the management, operation and handling of the fire service prior to the men’s deaths and their lack of cooperation in the subsequent Health and Safety Authority and Garda investigations”.

Councillor Brady continued “In 2005 the late Brian Murray and other fire fighters staged a walkout of Bray Fire station; this was an attempt to get series issues of concern in the fire service addressed by Wicklow County Council. On that day in 2005 I was to only councillor to meet the men and listen to their serious concerns. The damming verdict returned by the jury late on Friday, found that Wicklow County council had failed to maintain the vital communications systems in Bray and Greystones fire stations. They further found there was an absence of specific instructions relating to Pre-Determined Attendances (PDAs) as to how fire fighters should respond to a series of given situations. These are just some of the issues that Brian Murray raised with me and senior officials in Wicklow in 2005. These issues were ignored when I raised them at council level and ultimately became contributory factors in the deaths of both Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy 2 years later”.

Cllr Brady went onto say “The verdict has upheld the good names of both Brian and Mark who paid the ultimate sacrifice whilst serving their community. It has been very difficult sitting in the coroner’s court over 17 days listening to the council trying to effectively blame the 2 men for their own deaths. Both families and I have been vindicated in our views that the men’s deaths were not a tragic accident, but as a result of the systematic failure of the system and those that presided over it in Wicklow County Council. I believe Wicklow County Council must now apologise to the families of Brian and Mark for the men's deaths. It was difficult for the families to listen to the evidence heard at the inquest over the 17 days. It was very detailed and painful for them to relive those terrible days, however it was remarkable to hear that whilst Brian and Mark were lying in the morgue on the day after the fire the County Manager Eddie Sheehy organised a big dinner for himself along with the then Chief Fire officer James Dunphy, Director of Services Bryan Doyle, senior council official Tom Murphy and the Senior Assistant Fire Officers Joanne O'Connor and Tadgh O'Shea in the Druids Glen. It appears that getting their story straight over remorse or compassion was their priority in the aftermath of the mens deaths".

“What we need now is accountability, 2 men are dead and the Wicklow County Manager, Eddie Sheehy, the man that presided over the system that allowed them to die must ultimately be held to account. I believe he had not only failed to cooperate fully into the investigation that led to the need by the Gardaí to raid the County Buildings he has also brought the fire service and Wicklow County Council into disrepute. He needs to explain why he and others arrested as part of the investigation refused to answer over1300 questions that were put to them. The people of Wicklow have no faith or confidence in him nor the remaining Senior Assistant Fire Officers Joanne O’Connor and Tadgh O’Shea who were also arrested and presided over the flawed system that allowed the men to die in 2007. For accountability and confidence to be restored these three need to be immediately removed from their positions” continued Brady

The Sinn Féin councillor concluded “The jury found the Council, following the purchase of a new fire tender in 2007, had failed to follow up “with appropriate training for all firefighting personnel” in the use of the Compressed Air Foam System (CAFs) which was on the new tender. In the case of the death of Mark O’Shaughnessy, the jury held specifically that he had received no CAFs training whatsoever. The Chief Fire officer for Wicklow at the time of the men’s deaths James Dunphy has subsequently retired on what I would imagine is a substantial pension. This is an unbelievable situation that the people that put fire fighters on the front line to tackle serious fires with both hands tied behind their backs and ultimately die are rewarded with golden handshakes. There is something rotten with the system that allows that. We need to learn from the deaths of Brian and Mark and never allow them happen again, people need to be held to account and not rewarded for their incompetence and failures”

Brady calls on Lidl to Live up to their Social Obligations

Bray Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has called on Wicklow County Council to redouble their efforts to get additional sites for recycling bring banks in the Little Bray area of the town. Currently there is only one bring centre in the area which is located at the Community Centre in Fassaroe.

Speaking after raising the issue at a recent council meeting councillor Brady said "I have been contacted by a number of constituents who were voicing their concerns about the lack of recycling facilities in the Little Bray area. The Community Centre in Fassaroe has a bring centre allowing people dispose of their beverage cans and bottles. However this is the only one in the Little Bray area. Previously there had been one located in the car park of Super Value or Superquinn as it was then, however this was removed to facilitate works and has never been reinstated. The Community Centre in Fassaroe provides an excellent option for people with their recycling, but its not a realistic option for people living along Castle street or Dwyer park".

Cllr Brady continued "I think the County council must redouble their efforts to find an additional site or sites in the area. I have written to the management of the Lidl store which is located on the Old Dublin Road and asked them to change their policy of not allowing bottle banks to be located at any of their stores. I believe there is ample space on the site of the old Industrial Yarns to accommodate a bring centre to give people in the Little Bray area another option to the only one that exists in Fassaroe".

"With waste costs increasing more and more people want to recycle to keep their bills down, however it makes no sense either financially or environmentally to jump into a car and drive with your recycling to a bring centre. They should be within walking distance for them be effective. There are concerns from some members of the public when bottle banks are located in residential areas, however the site at Lidl which is very assessable is not located near any residential properties. I urge the management of the store at a national level to live up to their social obligations and change their current policies of not allowing bottle banks. I also call on the environment section of Wicklow County Council to continue their work in trying to identify a site in the Little Bray area" concluded Brady.

Brady welcomes Community and Sporting Grants From Wicklow Local Authorities

Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has encouraged community and sporting groups and organisations to apply for funding under the Wicklow County Council Community Awards Scheme and the Bray Town Council Sports Grant, both of which are accepting applications now.

Welcoming both grant schemes Councillor Brady said "I welcome both schemes that are operated separately by Wicklow County Council and Bray Town Council. Wicklow has an overall fund of €70,000 in the Community Awards Scheme and Bray Town Council has a fund of €80,000 in a new Sports fund. I think it’s great to see schemes like this which allow funds to go directly into the many excellent community and sporting organisations throughout the County, many of which are struggling to stay afloat. These grants not only give recognition for the great work they do but also give a badly needed lifeline".

Speaking about the Bray Town Council Sports Grant Cllr Brady said "I am delighted that the council accepted my proposal for a Sports Grant and €80,000 set aside for it. The grant is available to all sporting clubs/organisations in the Bray area and application forms are now available. It is designed to support the purchase of sports equipment and the training aids to promote increased sports participation by Bray people and to enable existing clubs to continue to develop. Applications must be returned on or before Wednesday 23rd April 2014”.

Cllr Brady continued “The Community Awards Scheme is operated by Wicklow County Council and applications are now being accepted. The Scheme has an overall fund of €70,000 and is to assist local community and voluntary groups and sporting organisations that would benefit from small scale or once-off funding to support the groups’ activities or to develop a particular project. The scheme is open to clubs, communities and organisations from right across the County. The closing date for applications for the grants is from Wicklow is Thursday24^th April".

Councillor Brady concluded “These are excellent schemes and I encourage all groups across Bray and Wicklow to check these grants out as they may be beneficial to their community, club or organisation.  People can contact me on 087-0666780 or johnbradysf@gmail.com for an application form or to get more information or indeed if help is needed in filling it out”.

  

To get more information or download application form for the Bray Town council Sports Grant:

http://braytowncouncil.ie/pages/posts/bray-town-council-sports-grant503.php

To download or get more information on the Wicklow County Council Community Awards Scheme:

http://www.wicklow.ie/apps/wicklowbeta/News/CommAwards2014.aspx

Wicklow County Council to hold special meeting to discuss important evidence presented at Bray firefighters inquest

A special meeting of Wicklow County Council has been called to discuss the  new evidence that has been heard at the inquest into the deaths of Bray Firefighters Brian Murray and 

Mark O'Shaughnessy. The meeting will take place this Friday 14th March at 11am.

Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady who supported the call for the meeting said "A number of Councillors have come together and called the special meeting of Wicklow County Council to discuss issues relating to the inquest into the deaths of Brian Murray and Mark O'Shaughnessy who died tackling a blaze in Bray in 2007. At the inquest on Thursday last critical new information can to light regarding a can the council and their fire consultant Michael Slatterty claim was found in the building, they claim it was the most probable cause of the two men's deaths. The Gardaí interjected at the inquest and showed pictures taken on the day of the fire that clearly show that there was no such canister present."

Brady continued "It is important that the council meeting takes place. In November of last year Michael Slattery presented his report to the council and at that stage i was very critical of it. However in my opinion that report which cost €53,777 has been totally discredited in the coroners court and answers are needed. We need to find out who moved or put the can in the sealed off building and why. The tampering or placing of evidence appeared to have happened sometime between the Gardaí leaving the premises on the 26th September 2007and the entering of the building the following day by Michael Slattery and 3 officials from the council ."   

Cllr Brady concluded"We need to see a full Garda investigation into this incident, but i will also be pushing for an independent investigation to be carried out. I will also be proposing another no confidence motion in the Wicklow County Manager Eddie Sheehy due to his mishandling of the fire service over many years. I think its important that all councillors are given the opportunity to examine their own conscious and why they voted to support the manger at the last vote in November. I believe they done so on the back of a dubious report that had been presented to them by Michael Slattery which implied that Mark and Brian where in the wrong place at the wrong time and nobody could have foreseen the explosion that happened due the the canister. This theory has now been totally discredited as it has been shown that the can wasn't present where the council and Slattery claim it was. These councillors have no choice but to vote no confidence in the County Manager and to seek a full Garda investigation into the matter."

Gardaí need to investigate if evidence was tampered with at scene of fire that killed Bray Firefighters-Brady

Wicklow Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has said there needs to be a full Garda investigation to establish the facts of how a five litre tin that may have contained a flammable liquid was mysteriously found at the scene of the fire at Adelaide Villas in Bray that Killed firefighters Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy the day after the fatal fire on September 26^th 2007. The Forensic Crime Scene Investigation Unit from the Gardaí carried out a full search of the scene immediately after the fire on the 26th and no can was photographed at the locating it was subsequently found.

Speaking after leaving the inquest into the deaths of Brian and Mark which was adjourned on Thursday Councillor John Brady said “There was a dramatic turn of events on Thursday at the inquest into the deaths of Bray Firefighters Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy when evidence was shown that a can mysteriously appeared at the scene the day after the fire. The significance of this is huge as Wicklow County Council and their experts say it possibly contained a liquid and may have expanded during the blaze, creating vapours that blew off the screw top cap, causing an explosion, resulting in a fireball which incapacitated the men and led to their deaths.”

“Once the fire was extinguished on the 26^th September at about 3pm the Crime Scene Investigation Unit from the Gardaí entered the burnt out premises at Adelaide Villas and photographed the entire area. The scene was then secured and released at about 6.30pm. The following day Michael Slattery of Slattery and Associates of Dublin who was engaged by Wicklow County Council to investigate the fire entered the sealed building with Wicklow fire officials, then Chief Fire Officer, Jim Dunphy, and two senior assistant chief fire officers, Joanne O’Connor and Tadhg O’Shea. They photographed the interior of the building and the slightly singed can was mysteriously found on a pile of burnt debris, its lid lying beside it and contents label still legible.”

Brady continued “The Council and their experts have but huge emphasis on the presence of this can and Michael Slattery was paid in excess of €53,777 to draft a report which essentially shows how the can exploded causing a huge fireball and ultimately killing Brian and Mark.  At the inquest photos shown by the Gardaí that were taken on the 26^th September clearly show that there was no such can where the Council and Michael Slattery claim to have found it the following day.”

“Over the course of the inquest we have heard evidence about the manning levels in the fire service, radios not working, not enough fire tenders being dispatched, and the lack of training given to firefighters, recordings in the watch room at the fire station in Bray getting wiped from the system. However the dramatic evidence on Thursday relating to the can clearly calls into question the credibility of the Slattery report, his hypothesis on the can and its resulting effects.”

Cllr Brady concluded “The evidence clearly shows that the can mysteriously appeared sometime between 6.30pm on the 26^th September 2007 and the time the senior staff from Wicklow County Council and Michael Slattery photographed its presence the following day. This raises the following serious questions, who put the can there? Why did they put it there? The tampering of a crime scene is a serious offence and so too is the planting or fabrication of evidence. I believe the Gardaí must now investigate this to establish the answers to these questions and hold the person or persons responsible.”

Unfair Wicklow County Council Budget Copper Fastens Use of Property Tax Funds to Install Water Meters

Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillors John Brady and John Snell have voted against the county council budget for 2014 labelling it as grossly unfair and one that copper fastens the use of property tax monies collected in Wicklow to install water meters by Irish Water, paving the way for more stealth taxes.

Speaking after the meeting which was held on Monday Councillor John Brady said "Unfortunately the government parties of Fine Gael and Labour united again on Wicklow County Council to ensure a grossly unfair budget was adopted. The Wicklow county council budget has been decimated over the last number of years by the Government and this year was no different. The Local Government Fund given to the council has been reduced from last years allocation of €14.4m to €3.44m. Scandalously in the region of €11m has been given to Irish Water from the property tax that the people of Wicklow paid. This funding will allow Irish Water take control of the water services that the council had operated and also start the roll out of Domestic water metering in 2014".

Cllr Brady continued "Unfortunately the people of Wicklow have been sold another pup on this issue by the Government. People had been told that 100% of the property tax raised would fund local services in their area, this quickly changed to 80%, now we find that only about 22% of the hard earned money, reluctantly and on a lot of occasions unwillingly taken to pay the Property Tax will go towards funding local services. The remainder goes to Irish Water to install water meters, so more stealth taxes can be squeezed from the ordinary people of Wicklow who don't have it to give. Figures given at the meeting show that if 100% of the property tax was collected and given to the council it would amount to €16.5m, however the council is getting a mere €3.44m the remainder goes to Irish Water. We all remember the false promises and the fancy booklets that were given outlining the better services that would be forthcoming if people paid this tax. Unfortunately what has materialised is exactly what Sinn Féin and i predicted as just another money grab."

Cllr Brady went on to say "The other main reason why my party colleague John Snell and I voted against the Council Budget is the plan to increase rents for all council tenants, this includes the the increase of the basic minimum rent for those with very low incomes. It is planned to increase all rents by 3%, there are plans to do the same again next year. Unfortunately many council tenants live in social housing that needs major refurbishment including better insulation, windows and doors and they also need a system that will address problems and faults that occur in those houses, forcing higher rents on them is totally unjust. Many council tenants are in social housing because of financial reasons and are some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Only this week we seen figures that 14,000 Wicklow people are in food poverty, this will only serve to add more people to that list."

Cllr Brady concluded "Unfortunately the Government parties of Fine Gael and Labour joined forces at the council meeting to ensure the budget was passed by the narrowest of margins. This will ensure that the people of Wicklow get poorer services next year year whilst still paying the unfair and unjust Property Taxes. I am very confident however that these councillors in Fine Gael and Labour will be held to account for their actions in the Local Government Elections that take place in May 2014."

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael circle the wagons to protect the Wicklow County Manager

Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has expressed disappointment that the motion of no confidence that he had tabled in the Wicklow County Manager Eddie Sheehy was rejected at yesterday’s special sitting of Wicklow County Council. The meeting was held to discuss the sentencing of the council on charges relating to the deaths of Bray fire fighters Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy.

Speaking after the meeting Councillor Brady said “Unfortunately it was proven yesterday that the majority of councillors in Wicklow have no backbones. I had tabled a motion of no confidence in the Wicklow County Manager Eddie Sheehy following the sentencing of Wicklow County Council in relation to the deaths of Bray fire fighters Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy. Under both the Local Government Act 2001 and the Fire Services Act 1981 the County Manager is ultimately responsible for the fire service”.

“Brian and Mark died under his watch and it’s us the tax payer that gets the slap on the wrist. The motion of no confidence was an attempt to install some level of accountability. Unfortunately the motion in the person with ultimate responsibility lost 14 votes to 7, the chairman abstained and 2 councillors never showed up”.

Cllr Brady continued “The old boys club of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil circled their wagons around the manager Eddie Sheehy to protect him. I put forward very strong reasons based on existing legislation which is contained in the Local Government Act 2001 and the Fire Services Act 1981 why the council should have no confidence in him. However not one of the fourteen councillors who voted to support him could give a single reason why they have any confidence in him”.

Brady concluded “This is pothole politics at its best. The fourteen councillors that voted confidence in Eddie Sheehy only have the interests of him at heart, not the families of Brian and Mark or indeed the people of Wicklow all of whom have no confidence in him”

The motion was proposed by Councillor John Brady and seconded by Councillor Tom Fortune

"The members of Wicklow County Council no longer have confidence in the ability of the County Manager Mr Eddie Sheehy to administrate effective local government in County Wicklow".

Those that supported the motion: John Brady, John Snell, Barry Nevin, Tom Fortune, Tommy Cullen, Irene Winters, Nicky Kelly. 

The councillors that voted against the motion: John Ryan, Mick Glynn, Christopher Fox, Pat Vance, Derek Mitchell, Sylvester Bourke, Vincent Blake, Grainne McLoughlin, Pat Casey, Pat Doran,Edward Timmins, Jim Ruttle, Pat Fitzgerald, George Jones

Conal Kavanagh and John Byrne were absent and Jimmy O'Shaughnessy abstained.

Wicklow County Council to discuss motion of no confidence in County Manager in wake of sentencing over firefighters deaths

Wicklow Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady will table a motion of no confidence in County Manager Eddie Sheehy at a specially arranged meeting of Wicklow County Council to discuss the sentence handed down to the council in the Central Criminal Court on 25 October, in relation to the deaths of Wicklow fire fighters Brian Murray and Mark O'Shaughnessy.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s meeting Councillor Brady said;

“The County Manager was aware and presided over an organisation that had no regard for the health of safety of its employees; he also presided and still does over an organisation that vets emergency calls as a cost saving measure.

“Unfortunately in the court case we had a faceless organisation on trial for health and safety breeches.

“The book stops with Mr Sheehy, under sections 63 and 149 of the Local Government Act 2001, the County Manager has overall responsibility, direction and control of the operation of the County Wicklow Fire Service and I believe he has failed in his responsibilities.

“At this stage the families, the people of Wicklow nor I have any faith or trust in Eddie Sheehy and I am therefore tabling an emergency motion of no confidence at tomorrow’s specially arranged meeting and I hope to secure the support of my fellow councillors for that motion.

Text of Councillor Brady’s motion:

"The members of Wicklow County Council no longer have confidence in the ability of the County Manager Mr Eddie Sheehy to administrate effective local government in County Wicklow.”

The Law is an Ass that needs to be changed-Brady

Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor and long-time campaigner on the fire service John Brady has expressed disappointment at the sentencing of Wicklow County Council in relation to the deaths of fire-fighters Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy who died fighting a fire in Bray in 2007. He also said that imposing a fine on the taxpayer for the fundamental failures of the Wicklow County Manager is not justice and that the law is and ass that needs to be changed to ensure there is accountability.

Speaking after a fine of €355,000 was handed down to Wicklow County Council in the Dublin Circuit Criminal court councillor Brady said “The last six years have been very difficult for the families of Wicklow fire-fighters Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy. Both men died tackling a fire in Bray in 2007. I had put my faith in the court system in the hope that the heartbroken families would get some justice. I have never believed that the men’s deaths were a tragic accident, I believed and still do that the men died as a direct result of the antiquated, inefficient and flawed system that Wicklow County Council operated.”

“Unfortunately what we seen in the court was a figure of €355,000 being put on the lives of the two fire men. The fine will ultimately will be paid by the taxpayers of Wicklow. I believe the law is an ass that needs to be changed. The people of Wicklow should not be the ones that are penalised for the failures of the management of Wicklow County Council. The County Manager was aware and presided over an organisation that had no regard for the health of safety of its employees; he also presided and still does over an organisation that vets emergency calls as a cost saving measure. Unfortunately in the court case we had a faceless organisation on trial for health and safety breeches. I would have much preferred to have seen Eddie Sheedy on trial and ultimately held responsible and I think the law needs to be changed to ensure that there is real accountability. At this stage however the families, the people of Wicklow nor I have any faith or trust in Eddie Sheedy and he should be either sacked or resign and I will be tabling an emergency motion and I intend bringing it before the council to ensure that is the case.” 

The councillor continued “I must praise the Gardaí and the HSA for the work that they put into this case, however I believe their work was severely hampered by a lack of cooperation by Wicklow County Council. This resulted in the County Buildings being raided by the Gardaí on 23 February 2010. The County Manager Eddie Sheedy was also arrested as part of the investigation into the men’s deaths, as was the now retired chief fire officer Jim Dunphy and the assistant fire officers.”

“I think the courts and the State however have let the families of Brian and Mark down. We should have had a criminal trial of those individuals who presided over the flawed system the council operated at the behest of the State. Shortly after the deaths of Brian and Mark the then Minister for the Environment John Gormely stated that an independent investigation would be looked at when court proceeding concluded. That now needs to happen, as I believe a lot of evidence still needs to come to light.”

   

Brady concluded “On 9 October 2007, just after the deaths of Brian and Mark the Labour Party tabled a motion in the Dáil relating to their deaths. The motion expressed sympathy to the families of the men; it also called for an independent investigation into their deaths, it went onto call for the full implementation of Farrell Grant Sparks Report on the fire services. Key to this would see the control of the fire services removed from the control of local authorities and put into the remit of a National Fire Authority. The motion which was also supported by Fine Gael also called for the establishment of a full-time fire service in Bray. Sinn Féin and the families supported the motion at the time and I now call on them to follow through as they are now in a position to deliver.”  Ends

Statement from families after the sentencing of Wicklow County Council.

"The families are happy to see that legal proceeding of this trial coming to an end as the last six years have been very difficult, during which they received great public support of which they are very grateful for.

While welcoming the eventual guilty plea made by Wicklow County Council in relation to the charges, they were brought as a result of the deaths of Brian Murray and Mark O' Shaughnessy.

They are however disappointed with the leniency shown by the judge in relation to the fines.

But they do welcome the criticism of the management of the fire service in Wicklow.

In relation to the fines, the families do welcome the fact that the taxpayer doesn’t have to pay a hefty fine for the council’s shortcomings.

There are however unanswered questions surrounding the deaths of both Brian and Mark and the families believe that these issues will be addressed during the upcoming inquest and the family will release a more comprehensive statement on completion of the inquest.

The families at this stage do however repeat their call for a national fire service.” Ends

Here is an link to the Dáil debate on 9 October 2007

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/2007/10/09/00018.asp#N2

Censorship of Wicklow Fire Fighters is Wrong- Brady

Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has sharply criticised a
gagging order that has been imposed on members of Wicklow Fire Service
by Wicklow County Council. The Brigade order was signed by the Chief
fire Officer Aidan Dempsey on 29th April, it bans members of the fire
service talking to the media or identifying themselves as members of
Wicklow Fire Service.

Cllr Brady said "I am very concerned at the level of censorship that
has been imposed on members of Wicklow Fire Service by the County
Council. The gagging order was signed off by the Chief Fire officer
Aidan Dempsey, it bans any member of the fire service identifying
themselves as firefighters on the Internet or during discussions on
social media. Any person found to be in breech of the order may be
subject to Wicklow County Councils grievance and disciplinary
procedure"

"I believe that this Brigade Order could well be an infringement of the
rights for freedom of speech for members of the fire service. I know
all firefighters are proud to serve their community and are well
respected by the communities they serve, they proudly wear tee shirts
and jackets off duty showing they are members of the fire service. The
gagging order bans staff from taking pictures in the fire stations or
at the scene of a fire or at a training event. This is simply a tactic
being employed by the council to ensure they control what message
comes from the fire service and the council, the timing of the Brigade
order says it all really. It was served little more than a month
before the high profile court case against the Council relating to the
deaths of firemen Brian Murray and Mark O' Shaughnessy. The order also
bans fire fighters talking to public representatives." continued
Brady.

The Sinn Féin councillor concluded "Unfortunately the council seem to
believe they are operating the secret service and that the fire
fighters lead a double life keeping their job top secret. Restricting
firefighters from the Internet and websites such as Facebook or
LinkedIn is shortsighted, censorship and ultimately a restriction of
Freedom of speech which is protected by Article 40.6.1 of the Irish
constitution." Ends

Brady welcomes N11 project, but local jobs needed

Sinn Féin County Councillor John Brady has welcomed the deal that was signed to complete the Rathnew to Arklow bypass on the N11 in Co. Wicklow. However he is looking for assurances to be given that locals will be employed on the project and that guarantees will be given that at no point in the future tolls will be introduced.


Speaking after the deal was signed Brady said "I warmly welcome thesigning of this contract, its been long awaited and unfortunately wehave had far too many false dawns on this scheme in the past. The dealinvolves the construction, operation, maintenance and financing of the16.5 kilometres of four-lane dual carriageway linking the existingArklow Bypass with the existing Rathnew/Ashford Bypass in Co.Wicklow.The contract has been awarded to BAM civil limited in a publicprivate partnership and is worth 282 million euro. It’s expected tocreate up to 1,000 jobs during development of the Bypass which isbeing bundled in with the N7 Newlands Cross free-flow system in westDublin. I think its important that the vast majority of these jobs goto people in Wicklow who have the necessary skills and that thematerials for the project would also be sourced from suppliers in theCounty."
Cllr Brady continued "What the people of Wicklow want now isguarantees that some of the thousands of unemployed people from thecounty will benefit from the construction of the dual carriageway.Guarantees are also needed that at no point in the future will theroad be tolled."
"We have been told that the provision of tolls are not to beimplemented at this point, however we need assurances, that at nopoint in the future will they be installed on the N11. The signing ofthe contract is welcome if somewhat long overdue." Brady concluded.

Brady concerned about the future of St. Catherine's as at least 30 staff have contracts terminated

Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has expressed serious concerns about the future of St. Catherine's Association which is based in Newcastle and provides care to clients who have intellectual and other disabilities. Staff at the HSE funded unit were informed today that the contracts of 30 staff members who where on temporary contracts would end in a months time and they would not be extended or replaced. More meetings are due to be held with respite staff and other staff members over the next few days and it appears others staff members are to be cut too.

Cllr John Brady said "I have real concerns about St. Catherine's and their ability to maintain the excellent level of service and care they provide here in Wicklow. Staff members were called into a number of meetings on Tuesday and 30 staff members on temporary contracts were given 1 months notice that their contracts would be ceasing. During the course of the day other meeting were planned with respite staff and others. At this moment we don't have a full picture as to how many staff will go or how many will remain, but its safe to say this is devastating news for everyone connected with St. Catherine's. I also feel deeply for the staff and their families whose contracts are to be terminated, they have given many years service to the people of Wicklow and everything must be done to try save the positions."

Cllr Brady continued "St. Catherine’s Association is a non-profit making organisation which provides education, training, healthcare and residential/respite care to clients who have intellectual and other disabilities. St. Catherine’s Association is funded substantially by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide a range of services to families in County Wicklow. These services include Early Intervention for children from birth to age six, Pre-Schools, National School, Respite/Residential living, Outreach, Nursing, Speech & Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Positive Behaviour Support, Occupational Therapy, Transport and other supports."

Brady went on to say "St. Catherine's currently meets the needs of over 250 children and families in County Wicklow and cuts over the last number of years have made things difficult. However the loss of any staff will have an impact and cuts of such a large number is bound to have a detrimental impact. I am planning on having the issue raised in the Dáil with the Minister and i am looking for a full statement on the matter from the HSE."

Cllr Brady continued "These cuts will impact on the most needy in our society here in Wicklow and i am calling on Wicklow's 4 government TD's to intervene immediately to stop these jobs losses that will devastate the excellent service that's provided by St. Catherine's."

Wicklow County Council Budget pushed through by Hypocrites in Fianna Fáil, Labour and Fine Gael

Wicklow County Councils annual budget was pushed through at Mondays
council meeting, but it has been described by Sinn Féin County
Councillors John Brady and John Snell as hypocritical, unfair and
doing the Governments dirty work of introducing unfair stealth taxes.
After a lengthily debate the budget was pushed through by Fianna Fáil,
Labour and Fine Gael with Sinn Féin opposing it.

Speaking after the meeting Sinn Féin County Councillor John Brady said
"The Wicklow County Council budget meeting which was held on Monday
last was nothing short of a joke. We seen the established party's of
Fianna Fáil, Labour and Fine Gael circle the wagons to protect their
own lavish expenses whilst agreeing a budget which cuts from frontline
services and does the Governments dirty work of paving the way for the
introduction of the Home tax and Domestic water Charges."

Cllr Brady continued "Myself and my party colleague John Snell went
into the budget meeting with the intention of protecting frontline
services, funding to community groups and ring fencing funding for
economic development and at the same time tackling the lavish expenses
some of the select Councillors are given. Unfortunately what we
witnessed at the budget meeting was the circling of the wagons by the
establishment parties on the council. Sinn Féin put forward an
alternative budget proposal that would have seen cuts of 20% to the
lavish expenses paid to some Councillors, this proposal included cuts
to the Chairpersons allowance which is €37,918.60 a year and including
his other expenses and allowances results in a total of €60,628 a year
or €1,165.92 a week. We also proposed further cuts of 20% to the
€6,564 paid to the vice chair of the council which is given on top of
his other payments, a cut of 20% which is given to the 5 chairs of the
Strategic Policy Committees (SPC) which is €1,500 per meeting and
further cuts to the Junket fund which contains over €100,000."

Cllr John Snell went onto say "The cuts that Sinn Féin proposed would
account for some of the funding that was needed to balance the books
it would have shown leadership and not to be hypocritical by imposing
cuts whist protecting their own lavish expenses. Unfortunately after a
lengthily debate on the Sinn Féin proposal and every excuse given not
to cut their expenses the Sinn Féin proposal was voted down by the
majority of Councillors."

Cllr Brady stated "The budget that was adopted by Labour, Fianna Fáil
and Fine Gael is an attack on frontline services and results in
funding being cut from the maintenance of local authority housing, the
fire-service, Economic and Development promotion, and Beeches to name
a few areas. The passing of the budget also paves the way for the
introduction of domestic water charges with €171,000 provided for
domestic water meter surveying staff. The budget also makes provision
for the unjust Home tax which i stated at the meeting would be final
nail in the coffin of many families who are already on the breadline
living with distressed mortgages and in negative equity and coupled
with domestic water charges would compound the difficulties families
are enduring. The County Manager Eddie Sheehy also stated that there
was no provision in the budget for the payment of property tax on
local authority houses even though the government said that local
authorities will have to pay for the tax for local authority
dwellings, he informed the meeting the council will now have to carry
out an evaluation exercise on local authority houses to calculate what
they owe starting from 1 July and he refused to rule out rent
increases to those in council houses."

Cllr Brady concluded "The budget which was adopted by the County
Council and rejected by Sinn Féin is unjust and unfair and has been
imposed on the people of Wicklow by hypocrites who are only too
willing to do the governments dirty work whilst protecting their own
outrageous and lavish expenses."

Wicklow County Council Gravy Train must be Halted at Annual Budget

Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillor John Brady has said that the Gravy
Train that exists on Wicklow County Council must come to an end and
the veil of secrecy that covers the expenses paid to Councillors that
sit on committees outside the council must be lifted. Figures the
Councillor obtained show that some Councillors are paid a staggering
€6,000 a year to chair four meetings, that's €1,250 per meeting.

Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady said "The annual budget of Wicklow
County Council takes place on Monday 17 December and in the draft
budget there are many proposals to cut from front-line services.
Critical areas such as Fire Services, housing maintenance, libraries
along with roads and funding to residents associations and community
groups are all planned to be cut because of a further cut of funding
to the council by central Government. However in the draft budget
which was approved by the councils corporate policy group, which a
number of Councillors sit on, there are no plans to tackle the
exorbitant expenses paid to some County Councillors who sit on
different committees."

Cllr Brady stated "I had requested a full break down of committees
that Councillors sit on and i am surprised at the reaction that i have
received from some Councillors. I have obtained a breakdown of the
figures since 2009, however i have been told that i can only have
figures for committees that Councillors sit on and chair within the
council itself and if i want a list of expenses paid to Councillors
for committees that Councillors sit on by virtue of being elected to
the Council i must write to these organisations and request it
myself."

Cllr Brady continued "The information i have received certainly paints
a picture that certain Councillors on Wicklow County Council are on
the gravy train. The chairpersons of each of the councils Strategic
Policy Committees (SPC's) get an allowance of €6,000 and on average
each committee sits 4 times a year. That means the chair is paid a
staggering €1,250 per meeting. There are 5 SPC's on Wicklow County
council, Nicky Kelly is chair of Housing and Corporate Estate, Vincent
Blake chair of Water and Environmental Services, George Jones chair of
Community, Cultural and Social Development, Pat Vance is the of chair
Planning and Economic development and Christopher Fox is chair of
Transport and Roads Infrastructure."

Brady went onto say "In the figures it also shows that Fine Gael
Councillor George Jones is also paid a further €6,000 for sitting on
the County Development Board which again sits on average 4 times a
year. So Cllr. Jones alone is paid €12,000 for 8 meetings. These
payments to Councillors are on top of the other standard allowances
Councillors are given and does not include expenses for conferences or
other trips they may attend. At the first AGM of this council in 2009
we seen Labour, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil join a pact to try exclude
Sinn Féin from key positions on the council, its quite apparent now
the real reasons for that. Its not because they think their policies
are better or anything, no its because they are on the gravy train and
there they want to remain."

"This gravy train must be stopped and the County Council budget is the
ideal time to start. There are many front-line services that the
council are proposing to cut with the blessing of some of the
Councillors that sit on the corporate policy committee of the council.
I don't know how they can propose to cut funding from front-line
services such as libraries and the fire service whilst still making
provision in the budget to pay themselves €1,250 per meeting. Myself
and my party colleague John Snell would be only too willing to take up
chair of any of the committees and we would not be looking for a penny
in return, so if these Councillors cant chair a meeting for less than
€1,250 they should let someone else take on the roll." said Brady

Cllr Brady concluded "I will be putting forward proposals at the
council meeting to see theses expenses cut, i hope to receive the
support of the other Councillors, however i wont hold my breath
because as the saying goes Turkeys don't vote for Christmas."