Sinn Féin condemn council censorship of Household charge debate

Wicklow Sinn Féin county councillors John Brady and John Snell have
expressed bitter disappointment at a decision by the council to refuse
to allow a suspension of standing orders to discuss the Household
charge. The councillors tried to bring forward an emergency motion
opposing the charge and demanding that the council does not
criminalise or initiate legal proceedings against anyone for
non-payment of the tax . Sinn Féin had also organised a large public
protest to coincide with the council meeting and over 100 people
gathered outside the council meeting to support the Sinn Féin motion.

Speaking after the council meeting councillor John Brady said
"Minister Phil Hogan and his Fine Gael and Labour colleagues in
Government have failed miserably to persuade, intimidate or coerce a
majority of people to pay the unjust Household Charge, as of the
deadline on the 31st March for registration and payment of the tax,
approximately 1 million households are estimated not to have paid. The
people have spoken and given a resounding rejection to the austerity
tax. Minister Hogan is now getting the county council to do the
enforcement work of the government by policing the payment of the
unfair tax. Myself and my party colleague John Snell tabled a motion
on the council on the 2nd March however council red tape meant the
motion opposing the charge was not on the agenda on the 2nd April. At
the beginning of the meeting on Monday i sought a suspension of
standing orders to try put through an emergency motion opposing the
Household charge"

Sinn Féin county councillor John Snell went onto say "The Sinn Féin
proposal was put to a vote, and unfortunately the majority of the
councillors voted to censor debate on the motion, and the Sinn Féin
proposal was rejected 14 votes to 7. This goes to show how out of
touch the so called public representatives of the council are with the
ordinary people on the ground who simply cant afford to pay the
charge. Minister Hogan is saying it is going to be the responsibility
of the council to follow up the outstanding payments and take legal
action if necessary. However the motion Sinn Féin tried to tabled
demands that the county Manager does not criminalise anyone for
non-payment. We may have been unsuccessful in getting the motion
debated at Mondays council meeting because of the councillors
censorship but we will definitely have it on the agenda for the
meeting in May"

Cllr Brady concluded "The austerity charge is not only unjust its
totally unworkable and Fine Gael and Labour must repeal the charge.
Sinn Féin will be tabling a bill in June to reverse the charge.  The
bill, entitled Local Government (Household Charge) (Repeal) Bill 2012,
aims to repeal the household charge and allow the Department to
reimburse those households that have already paid it. We will continue
to oppose the charge at all levels and we will be organising another
protest outside the council meeting in May when the issue is on the
agenda. I can understand the reluctance of the government parties to
debate this issue in the council by throwing up red tape and voting
against the Sinn Féin proposals for debate, however they will have no
option but to try defend the indefensibly at the meeting in May" Ends

Wicklow Sinn Féin announce details of their 1916 Easter commemorations

Wicklow Sinn Féin has announced details of their commemorations to mark the 96th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Sinn Fein TD Aengus O Snodaigh will give the main oration in Arklow on Easter Saturday and Cllr. John Brady will deliver the main oration in Bray on Easter Monday.

Speaking ahead of the commemorations Cllr Brady said "As we approach the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising it is important more so than ever to honour the sacrifices Irish Men and Women made for the limited freedoms we enjoy today. However it is not just enough to remember them but its important that we re dedicate ourselves to the Republic which was declared on the steps of the GPO on Easter Monday morning1916. The Government parties of Fine Gael and Labour should over the Easter period take time out to read the proclamation of Independence, particularly the section that reads 'We declare the right the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies to be sovereign and indefeasible'. The Government should reflect on that paragraph when they deal with the IMF and the ceding of our economic sovereignty to foreign interests, they should also bear it in mind as they force the Austerity Treaty on the Irish people on 31st May"

"This Easter we are inviting people from right across Wicklow to tie into the Easter commemorations and not just pay tribute to those who fought an empire, but to start the fight back against what is being done in our names by the government. I would also encourage people to wear an Easter lilly to remember or patriotic dead over the Easter time, Sinn Féin members will be out all over the County with them in the coming week"

Arklow, Easter Saturday 7th April, 2.45pm Pettitts supermarket Wexford Rd Arklow, to the park on Main St. Main speaker, Aengus O Snodaigh TD

Bray, Easter Monday 9th April, 12pm, Bray Town Hall to the 1798 monument in Little Bray.

Main speaker Cllr . John Brady

Wicklow County Council red tape will not get in the way of Sinn Féin motion or protest opposing the Household Charge

Sinn Féin county councillors John Brady and John Snell have sharply criticized the decision by Wicklow county council to refuse a Sinn Féin motion on the agenda of Aprils county council meeting which called on the government to reverse the Household charge, and they have labelled it as the ultimate red tape attempt to censor debate on the important issue. However the Sinn Féin councillors plan on pursuing the issue at the council meeting on Monday 2nd and the protest outside the council against the charge and in support of the motion will proceed as planned at 1pm.

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady said " Cllr Snell and i tabled a motion to the council 30 days before the council meeting which is due to take place on Monday next the 2nd of April. The motion called on the council to take a stand along with the many of thousands of people across Wicklow and oppose the unfair and unjust Household charge, the motion also demanded that the council management does not take legal action against any householders for non payment or non registration of the charge. The chairperson of the council informed myself during alive radio debate about the household charge that he was not allowing the motion on the agenda because it was not tabled 31 days before the meeting. This is the ultimate in red tape, to say that debate on such an important issue will not be held because the motion was 1 day late is a joke and smells of censorship. It is no surprise that the chairperson is a member of Fine Gael, the party which is forcing this unfair tax on the ordinary people in the state"

Cllr Snell continued " Thousands of people across Wicklow have taken a stand on this issue and simply said they will refuse to pay the tax.Because the council has refused our motion we plan on seeking a suspension of standing orders to discuss the issue at the meeting on Monday. The council meeting will take place a couple of days after the deadline of the 31st of March for payment of tax and it is very evident that there will be a mass non-payment of it in Wicklow. The council must at this stage take a stand and say to the government and Minister Phil Hogan enough is enough, the tax is not welcome, not working, not just and must go"

Cllr Brady concluded "The protest Sinn Féin has organised outside the council meeting on Monday at 1pm will proceed as planned and we fully intend on taking a stand on the the issue of the household charge and voice the genuine concerns of the ordinary people of Wicklow. I hope all councillors decide to stand with the people on this issue and support the Sinn Féin motion that we will try put forward during the suspension of standing orders. I also hope that everyone opposed to the Household charge can tie into the protest outside the county council offices in Wicklow" Ends

The full Sinn Féin motion to Wicklow county council reads:

Wicklow county council strongly opposes the Household charge and we call on the Government to immediately scrap it. It is very evident that the massive non payment of the Household tax by Wicklow residents who simply can’t afford this additional unfair tax, will add to the huge shortfall in the €160 million in funding which the Government had expected from this tax. We therefore call on the Government to look at an alternative way of funding local authorities.We also instruct Wicklow county council not to criminalise or initiate legal proceedings against people for their inability to pay or their noncompliance with the unfair and unjust Household tax.

Sinn Féin tables motion and plans protest at Wicklow County council meeting opposing the Household charge

Sinn Féin County councillors John Brady and John Snell have tabled a motion on Wicklow County council calling on the Government to immediately scrap the grossly unfair household charge. It also instructs the council not to criminalise or initiate legal proceedings against anyone for non-compliance of the tax. The motion will be debated at the County council meeting on Monday 2nd April and SinnFéin has organised a protest to take place outside the council meeting to coincide with the debate.

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady stated "“Sinn Féin has been consistent in its opposition to this unfair charge. It’s now obvious that the charge is unworkable as much as it is unjust and the level of opposition is growing on a daily basis. Not only have 85% of the population decided not to sign up so far but it now looks likely that the legislation will be unconstitutional. The household charge is grossly unfair and much of the money raised will end up paying off private debt. There are progressive revenue raising alternatives that would raise equal amounts of funds if not more. The government’s plans to introduce the household charge are in disarray and they need to withdraw it"

"Sinn Féin have tabled this motion on Wicklow county council calling on the government to scrap the tax, it is quite evident that there is mass opposition to it and rightfully so, Wicklow county council must send the government the message to go back to the drawing board and implement a fairer tax that targets the wealthy in our society" Brady continued

Cllr Snell went on to say “People see this for what it is – a bank bailout. This money will not be invested in our local authorities - it will instead be handed over to the promissory note-holders and the bondholders of Anglo Irish Bank. There will be no extra benefits to any areas because of this tax, it just another means of extorting money from ordinary people who simply don't have anything left to give. The entire Sinn Féin team of public representatives in Wicklow have pledged to stand alongside the vast majority of people in Wicklow and refuse to pay the unjust tax"

Brady concluded "The government is stating that the policing of this unjust tax will come down to the local authorities and they will have to take people to court for non-compliance or non-payment of the charge. This is a crazy situation, the government introduced this very unpopular tax and then makes the local authorities do the dirty work.The Sinn Féin motion to Wicklow county council instructs the officials in the council not to criminalise or take any legal action against anyindividuals or households for either non registration or non paymentof the tax. It is very evident that this tax is not just unfair but it is totally unworkable and the government needs to immediately withdraw it. To coincide with the motion to the council, Sinn Féin has organised a protest outside the council meeting which will take place on Monday 2nd April at 1pm at the County council buildings in Wicklow town, and everyone opposed to the tax from whatever political persuasion and non are asked to try in and send a strong defiant message of opposition” Ends

The full Sinn Féin motion to Wicklow county council reads:

Wicklow county council strongly opposes the Household charge and we call on the Government to immediately scrap it. It is very evident that the massive non payment of the Household tax by Wicklow residents who simply can’t afford this additional unfair tax, will add to the huge shortfall in the €160 million in funding which the Government had expected from this tax. We therefore call on the Government to look at an alternative way of funding local authorities.We also instruct Wicklow county council not to criminalise or initiate legal proceedings against people for their inability to pay or their non compliance with the unfair and unjust Household tax.

Local Fishing Trawlers need full access to Greystones Harbour again.

Sinn Féin county councillor John Brady was welcomed the news that Sispar are to present a plan to put 56 berths in the new marina in Greystones this summer. However immediate action needs to be taken to allow the return of the local fishing trawlers that have been restricted from the harbour to allow the construction proceed.

Cllr Brady Stated " Greystones has always been a traditional fishing harbour and over the years many local families have operated commercial fishing trawlers from the harbour. However when the construction began on the new harbour the fishermen where told they would have to leave and that they would be accommodated when it was finished. The trawlers have now been out of harbour for over four years and whilst i welcome the news that the Sea Scouts, Rowers,Anglers, Sailors and Divers may possibly occupy their compounds in April and that there is a plan for 56 new berths in the marina, the fishermen seem to be totally forgotten about"

Cllr Brady continued "The trawlers that had been in the old harbour are now tying up in Dun Laoghaire harbour but still fishing off Greystones, the fuel costs alone for the 3 hour round trip in a trawler is crippling the fishermen. The first people back into the harbour should be the fishermen whose livelihoods are at risk, they where told they would be back in well before now, however unfortunately they have been completely forgotten about in the mess that is Greystones Harbour"

"Greystones has always been a fishing harbour, the local trawlers need to have access to the harbour to land their catch and to tie up, 12months of the year. The livelihoods of the fishermen should not depend on the leasing or renting of the 56 berths in the marina, they have a right to be there irrespective as to what happens to the marina. At the outset they where promised their own area with fresh water,electricity and a place to store bait etc. and this all needs to materialise" continued Brady

The Sinn Féin councillor concluded "Fishing is not a hobby for the fishermen it is their job and their livelihood, the restriction on the trawlers needs to be lifted immediately and the 3 local trawlers that fish the waters off Greystones need full and inhibited access to the harbour straight away. They have had to take a massive financial hit for over 4 years by travelling up and down to Dun Laoghaire everyday to allow the construction of the harbour proceed and they need to bethe first to be accommodated even though it may not suit everyone's agenda"

Sinn Féin councillors demand full investigation into huge landslide in Bray

Sinn Féin councillors John Brady and Rossa Murray have called for a
full investigation into a massive landslide adjacent to a development
that is taking place Brook House School on the Herbert Road in Bray.
The construction site is on the high ground which over looks the
publicly owned Rehills Land beside the river Dargle. The huge
landslide has seen hundreds of tonnes of rock and soil plough down
through a protected forest which has a tree preservation order in
place and has left the area very unstable and prone to further
landslides.

Speaking after raising the issue at the Town Council meeting in Bray
councillor Brady Said "This issue was brought to my attention by
frightened residents who felt their homes shake when the massive
landslide took place. I have visited the site and was shocked at the
scale of the landslide, a large section of the forest was literately
washed away with the landslide, hundreds of tonnes of rock and soil
gave way and ended up on the Rehills land which is down below. Its a
miracle nobody was killed on the site"

Cllr Brady continued "It appears large volumes of excavated soil from
the adjoining development which is beside Brook House School was been
dumped on top of the hill and under the weight the entire hill gave
way. The force of the landslide that ensued uprooted and and carried
large mature trees several hundred metres before being deposited on
the land below. The forest is destroyed, it is supposed to be
preserved with a tree preservation order, however that had little
effect in this case, everything in the way was swept away with the
force of the landslide"

Cllr Rossa Murray went onto say "There are a number of issues here. It
appears that there has been a blatant breech in the planning
permission that was granted for the development adjacent to the
landslide and this has caused the serious problem, this needs to be
followed up by enforcement immediately by the council. There are also
health and safety issues, the site in its current condition is not
secure and is totally unstable and the possibility of a further
landslide is real, i have reported the site to the Health and Safety
Authority such are my concerns about this development and its
condition"

Cllr Brady concluded "At the council meeting i requested a full
engineers report on this serious situation, I have also requested a
remedial plan for the area and report from the planners. It appears
that this incident was down irresponsible activities on site, this has
resulted in the destruction of a protected wooded area which has
deposited hundreds of tonnes of debris on publicly owned land. We
could have been dealing with a entirely different incident here,
thankfully nobody was injured, however there must be answers to the
questions as to how this happened and all costs removing the debris
and restoring the area must be carried by the owners of the
development"

Shock at Bray Town Councils refusal to invite Dublin Bus to Council to discuss proposed cuts to the 45

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has expressed astonishment and
disbelief at the Bray Town Councils refusal to invite representatives
from Dublin Bus to a council meeting to discuss the proposed cuts to
the 45 bus route.

Councillor Brady said "At Tuesday nights council meeting i asked if
Dublin Bus had been invited to a council meeting to discuss the plans
to curtail the 45 bus route as it was agreed at February's council
meeting, i stated that i was concerned because it was not carried in
the minutes and asked that the situation be clarified. I was however
left gob-smacked by the response i received from the chairperson of
the council Ronan McManus who stated a letter had not been sent, nor
would one be sent to invite anyone to the council from Dublin Bus"

Cllr Brady continued "A lot of pressure has been put on Dublin Bus
because of their plans to curtail the 84 and 45 routes, a number of
public meetings have been held and a large public protest was held to
outside a Greystones Town Council meeting where Dublin Bus were giving
a presentation on the cuts. This pressure has paid off and it has
resulted in forcing Dublin Bus to hold a consultation process to see
what the public what and to hopefully create a public transport
service that truly serves the people of North Wicklow. I felt that as
a council which has been given a mandate by the people of Bray to
represent them it would only be right for the council to partake in
the consultation process and invite Dublin Bus representatives to a
full council meeting to put forward the concerns of the public we
represent"

"Inviting groups or organisations such as Dublin Bus to council
meetings is normal practise and it certainly would not have been the
first time it would have happened, in fact the last time Dublin Bus
attended a council meeting in Bray it resulted in the saving of the
185 bus route. I am astonished at the refusal by Cllr. McManus to
invite Dublin Bus to a council meeting, is he not aware of how many
people rely on the 45 route to get from Oldcourt to schools, hospitals
etc. Not every one has the luxury of driving a big fancy expensive car
like him. There are a lot of people who simply cant afford to put
petrol in their car let alone pay for tax or insurance. Ordinary
people depend on routes like the 45 and for a council to refuse to try
defend them is sad to say the least, is it any wonder people question
the relevance of Town councils" Brady continued.

Cllr Brady concluded "If Dublin Bus go ahead and and curtail the 45
Bus route Bray Town council and in-particular Cllr. Ronan McManus will
have a lot of questions to answer. Being the chairperson of a council
is more than a ribbon cutting position, its about standing up for your
town and ensuring that important issues such as this are addressed by
the council and that the mandate given by the people is used to
represent them. We all know that the proposed cuts the 45 and 84 are a
direct result of the cuts to the subsidy given to Dublin Bus by the
Government, however trying to protect the government by not even
inviting Dublin Bus to a council meeting is very sad and even sadder
for the public who use public transport. The council should be doing
everything in its power to protect and encourage the use of public
transport, however this sends out all the wrong messages"

The political Mongrel Tommy Cullen should stop waffling and oppose austerity

Letter in response to Cllr Tommy Cullen's which appeared in the Wicklow Times on 28th February. 

Dear Editor

I wish to respond to the letter penned by Cllr Tommy Cullen which was carried in your paper on Tuesday 28th February 2012. I think it’s important to set the record straight here and state some facts.

Firstly, I think Cllr Cullen should stop trying to ride two horses, is he still a member of the Labour party?- as he canvassed for the Labour party in the general elections and presidential elections last year? The party he supports is now in government and are the ones implementing the austerity policies which include the Household Charge and Septic Tank charges. I can understand why anyone would not want to be a member of the Labour party, however Cllr. Cullen must stop being a political mongrel and come clean once and for all about his membership of the Labour party.

Memories are still very fresh in West Wicklow of the antics of Tommy Cullen and the Labour Party, in 1985 when they as members of the Coalition Government introduced the service charges and insisted that people pay the unjust charges. At the end of the day Cllr Cullen has a long record of work with the Labour party so he must share collective responsible for the austerity policies Labour and Fine Gael are pursuing.

Sinn Féin is consistent in its opposition to the Household Charge and Septic Tank charges, we have opposed them nationally and locally. Sinn Féin is the only party to speak out against both charges at the Wicklow County Council budget meeting on 19th December where finance staff of the council stated that there was not one cent of the Household charge included in the budget estimates, however Cullen was not present for most of the meeting so he would not be aware of that fact. There has been no vote of any description on Wicklow County Council to bring in either the Household charge or Septic tank charges, because this is a national decision by the government.

Cullen states "Sinn Féin on the 29th October 2008 voted to bail out the bankers" The simple fact here is there was no vote of any description on that date, the Bank Guarantee Scheme was brought forward by Brian Lenihan on 17th October 2008 and Sinn Féin voted against it.

 The political Mongrel Cullen must stop doing the dirty work and being a mouth piece for the parties of austerity. If he is sincere in his opposition to austerity, he must severe his connection to the Labour Party.

 People are hurting, people are fearful, penniless and broken, but I will not be distracted by Cullen and his twisted political agenda, I will continue giving these people a voice and offering them an alternative.

If Cullen or anyone else wants to stand alongside myself and my party they are more than welcome to do so, we offer alternatives and solutions not lies and deception.

Yours sincerely

Cllr. John Brady (Sinn Féin)

Pathways to Work is putting people on the path to poverty

Responding to the publication of Fine Gael and Labour's ‘Pathways to
Work’ Wicklow Sinn Féin county councillor John Brady said “Pathways to
Poverty” or "Pathways to Emigration" would be more apt titles because
the government is not creating jobs for the unemployed to move into,
unemployment nationally is 14.2%, here in Wicklow there are 12,541 out
of work and it is continuing to grow .

He said “There are hundreds of thousands of people desperate to get
off our dole queues and find work. This document offers them very
little hope and instead threatens to cut their meagre incomes. Much of
the governments announcement is a rehash of provisions put in place by
the previous government and objected to at the time by the Labour
Party.

“And, without any new training places, new investment in education or
new jobs, the plan is no better than waffle. It is aimed at building
up the hopes of those languishing on dole queues only to dash them
when they can’t deliver. The only option now for Wicklow people is to
join the 40,000 people emigrating every year, nearly 3,000 a month are
packing their bags and heading abroad in the hope of finding work.
This main objective of this plan is to see dole payments cut sooner in
the hope people will emigrate quicker"

“There are a couple of very big elephants in the room today. No.1
there is no work - the European Commission's Vacancy Monitor shows
that there are currently 50 jobseekers for every single vacancy in
this state, No. 2 there are no additional resources being allocated
for the activation supports, profiling etc. and No. 3 the Minister is
cutting a further €1 billion from her Department’s Budget by the end
of 2014 over and above those cuts announced in the Budget just passed.

Cllr Brady concluded “Just like the Budget the emphasis of the
governments announcement is on punishing the unemployed. Rather than
‘Pathways to Work’ I think ‘Pathways to Poverty’ or "Pathways to
emigration" would be more apt titles.”

Wicklow County Council votes to reject Water Charges and the establishment of a National Water Authority

Wicklow Sinn Féin county councillors John Brady and John Snell successfully tabled a  motion opposing the establishment of the new national utility company Irish Water and had it adopted by Wicklow county council. The motion was put forward by the Sinn Féin councillors at the special meeting of Wicklow county council that washeld on Wednesday to discuss the issue of the establishment of a National Water Authority. The Sinn Féin motion also rejected the government plans to install water meters and start charging for water,the motion also went on to call on the government to invest the €500 million earmarked for the installation of water meters on upgrading the states leaking and outdated water infrastructure.

Speaking after the meeting councillor John Brady said "On Wednesday Wicklow county council convened a special meeting of the council to discuss the government plans to establish a new national water utility company named 'Irish Water' I have major concerns about creating this monster which will see the function of planning and supplying water to the public removed from the 34 local authorities that currently have the function of supply water to nearly 2 million households throughout the state. This function and all the public assets including the infrastructure will be handed over to this new company Irish Water later this year"

"This company will roll out the installation of water meters throughout the state at a cost of €500 million and then set the rates for water charges. I genuinely believe and evidence shows that this will ultimately lead to a full privatisation of the nations water. On one hand the government are selling off semi state bodies such as Coillte and parts of ESB and Bord Gais and on the other hand they intend to establish a new public utility Irish Water" continued Brady

Cllr John Snell said "The creation of this new quango which will ultimately be privatised will install domestic water meters starting later this year at estimated cost of €500 million. They will then set the charges for the water, these charges will result in more hardship for families who are already struggling and hurting as a result of Fine Gael and Labour policies. In Denmark with a population similar to our own, water metering is in place and the average cost is €715 perhousehold. We oppose all stealth taxes and charging for water is no different. Water is the most basic of human rights and access to it should not be based on ones ability to pay for it"

Cllr Brady went onto say "At the special meeting of the county council Sinn Fein proposed a motion opposing the establishment of Irish Water,we believe that local authorities are best positioned to plan for, and deliver water infrastructure and not a company which will only plan schemes that provide the most in financial returns. The motion also called on the government to scrap its plans to introduce domestic water charges and alternatively use the €500 million that's earmarked for installing water meters on upgrading the states outdated and leaking water infrastructure. In Wicklow its estimated that 24% of all water is lost through leaking pipes and in some counties its as high as 45%. Tackling this problem alone would save millions through conserving the resource"

Cllr. Snell concluded "I am delighted that Wicklow county council voted to support the Sinn Féin motion which means that is is now the policy of the council to oppose the creation of the national utility company Irish Water and furthermore it is also the policy of the council to reject the government policy of forcing people to pay for water. The motion will also now form part of the submission from Wicklow county council to the government which is undertaking a public consultation process prior to establishing this quango and handing over the functions of water to it" Ends

The Sinn Féin motion was proposed by Cllr. John Brady and seconded by Cllr. John Snell. It was adopted by 8 votes for, 7 against and 3 abstained.

The full motion reads that

"Wicklow county council opposes the creation of the National utility company Irish Water and believes that one of the primary functions of local authorities is to plan for and deliver clean water to the public, this function should stay at a local level where it can be best delivered. Furthermore the council believes that the creation of this utility company is an attempt to fully privatise the nations water and Wicklow county council is totally opposed to any attempt to do so. We also call on the government to scrap the plan to introduce domestic water charges, and to alternatively use the €500 million for installing water meters, on upgrading the states water infrastructure"

Plans to erect a memorial for Bray Fire-fighters fifth anniversary.

The Families of the 2 brave Firemen Brian Murray and Mark O'Shaughnessy along with Bray Fire-service and myself have set up a committee with a view of erecting a fitting memorial in the Town for the 2 men who died while tackling a blaze in Bray on 26th september 2007, it is planned to unveil it on their 5th anniversary, which is this September. We are in the process of looking at locations and designs, but we also think its vital that the public have an input. Do people firstly think its a good idea? Any suggestions on locations or possible designs? I think its only fitting that these Bray heroes should be forever remembered and honoured in a respectful manner for paying the ultimate sacrifice in protecting their community.

Wicklow Sinn Féin hold successful public meeting and launch petition opposing Water Taxes and the Household Charge

Following a successful public meeting in the Glenview Hotel on the
issue of Septic Tank and the Household charges in which over 100
people attended Wicklow Sinn Féin have launched a petition to the
oppose the household charge and water taxes which are been introduced
by Fine Gael and Labour.

Speaking following the public meeting which was held on Wednesday last
Sinn Féin county councillor John Brady said "Sinn Fein held a very
sucessful public meeting in the Glenview on Wednesday last, we were
delighted to be joined by Sinn Féin TDs Martin Ferris and Michael
Colreavy. Over 100 people turned up on the night to get information on
the legislation that Fine Gael and Labour are pushing through Leinster
House on septic tanks. There is genuine fear and concern amongst the
public across rural Wicklow and the lack of detailed information on
the issue and the potential costs of upgrading existing septic tanks.
There are appropriately 10,300 households in Wicklow with septic tanks
and these households must be assured they will not be victimised
because they live in rural areas and are not connected to the mains
sewage"

Cllr Brady continued "This Government is hell bent on making the
ordinary people pay for the financial mess that the County is in, we
are being forced to pay Billions to Bondholders and Toxic Banks. At
our public meeting we launched a petition as part of our campaign
against the new stealth taxes that are been introduced to pay for the
mistakes of Fianna Fail and the Greens, these mistakes are continuing
and the ordinary people are the ones suffering. Sinn Féin members will
be out across Wicklow in the coming weeks building the campaign
against the Household charge, Septic Tank charges and Water Taxes, we
will be on the streets and knocking on doors throughout the County"

Cllr Brady Concluded "Sinn Féin public representatives from across
Wicklow have said they will not be paying the Household charge, we are
not telling people to follow our lead, however if they do we will
fully support them. People need to be fully aware of the potential
implications of not paying these charges and they need to make an
informed decision one way or another. Sinn Féin will continue to fight
these charges at every level and i appeal to all genuine groups to
work together in a campaign of mass opposition, there are different
strategies for fighting these stealth taxes and all groups sincere in
their opposition should rally around the one common denominator which
is our opposition to them"

Campaign to save the A&E in St. Columcilles Hospital to hold Rally in Bray

SOS Wicklow the campaign group which was established to fight the planned downgrading of the 24hour A&E at St.Columcilles hospital in Loughlinstown is to hold a public rally in Bray on Saturday 25th February. It will start at 1.30pm at the Town Hall in Bray and will proceed to Castle street in Little Bray.


Speaking ahead of the rally the groups secretary Melanie McAuley said "SOS Wicklow has organised this rally which will take place in Bray on Saturday 25th February as part of our campaign to save the A&E in St.Columcilles Hospital, Loughlinstown. We have been told by the HSE that the downgrading of the critical facility will take place in the first quarter of 2012, so these cuts are now imminent, the public rally in Bray may well be our last chance for people to come out and show their support for the retention of the A&E in Loughlinstown,"


The chairperson of SOS Wicklow Cllr. John Brady said "The HSE has stated that the review of the services in St.Columcilles be undertaken during the months of September and October 2011, we know it is their intention to withdraw the 24hour A&E in St.Columcilles and it is expected to happen over the next few weeks. This is a political decision, so political pressure needs to be brought to bare on our national politicians and this can only be done by people power and by taking to the streets on Saturday 25th. This may be our last opportunity for people to take a stand on this issue and we need to do so in large numbers"

Melanie McAuley concluded "We have ran a long campaign on this issue, we have collected thousands of signatures on a county wide petition and this will be presented to the Minister for Health James Reilly in the coming weeks, we now need all those people and everyone else who wants to save our A&E on the streets of Bray on Saturday 25th February at 1.30pm. We need to send the message loud and clear that the people of Wicklow want our Hospital upgraded not downgraded"

Martin Ferris TD to attend public meeting in Wicklow to Oppose the Septic Tank Charges

Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris will be the guest speaker at the public
meeting being held by the party as part of the campaign to oppose
Septic Tank Charges, it will take place on Wednesday 15th February in
the Glenview Hotel in the Glen of the Downs, the meeting will start at
8pm.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillor John
Brady said " The public meeting on Wednesday 15th February is part of
Sinn Féin's campaign of opposition against the Septic Tank charges and
follows on from a very successful meeting that Sinn Féin held in
Baltinglass recently. There is genuine outrage in rural areas over
these plans and Sinn Féin and the public has exerted pressure on the
Government at both local and national levels, this has resulted in
them trying to muddy the water on the issue. The government must stop
playing mind games with the registration cost. The registration fee,
regardless of cost, is not the biggest concern for families. The key
issue is the standard against which their tanks will be assessed and
the cost of upgrading.

“Phil Hogan has moved the goal posts on several occasions. The appeals
process was to cost €200 now it is reduced to €20 while the
registration is now a once off €5. All these changes, while welcome,
were brought about by public pressure. But the core issues for the
public are the funding of upgrades and the standards. The current
situation is farcical. We have legislation that demands the
registration of septic tanks and the upgrading of these septic tanks
but there are no standards to assess them by and no financial
assistance for households to carry out the necessary work. The
legislation as it stands is extremely punitive. It dictates that
householders will be dragged through the courts and may be fined up to
€5,000 if they cannot comply with these secret standards. This
threatening behaviour by Minster Hogan is unacceptable and will be
rejected by the public" Brady continued.

Cllr Brady finished by saying "I am delighted that Sinn Féin Deputy's
Martin Ferris and Michael Colreavy will be present at the meeting on
Wednesday in the Glenview and it will give the public an opportunity
get find out more information on this important subject. We will also
discuss the Household Charge and Water Taxes and on the night we will
be launching a County wide petition to oppose these family taxes and
we will continue to build a campaign to against them"