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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Government must re-examine rent allowance cuts - Brady

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fine Gael criticized for littering the Garden County

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Councillors from Labour, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in Wicklow vote to Criminalise Householders for Non Payment of Household Charge

Sinn Féin county councillors John Brady and John Snell have expressed
deep disappointment that a motion they had tabled at Wicklow county
council opposing the unfair Household charge was rejected at Tuesdays
council meeting by 14 votes to 4. The councillors have said the vote
in Wicklow county council now clears the way to criminalise the 53.1%
of households in Wicklow who have refused to pay the new stealth tax.

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady who proposed the motion stated "We are
disappointed the the Sinn Féin motion was defeated at the council
meeting on Tuesday, however we are not surprised. We tabled the motion
on March 2nd and great attempts were made to keep the motion off the
agenda so it would not even be debated in the first place. The motion
called on the council to oppose the Household charge and instruct the
council officials not criminalise or initiate legal proceedings
against people for their inability to pay the tax. After a lengthy
debate the motion was defeated by 14 votes to 4, there was 3
abstentions and 3 councillors not present"

Cllr Snell stated "The vote in Wicklow now gives the council officials
a free hand to take whatever action they feel is necessary to get the
Household charge from Wicklow residents who have not complied with the
new stealth tax, this includes legal proceedings and court action. I
am particularly disappointed at members of the Labour party in Wicklow
who with great fan-fair in December said they were voting against the
councils budget because of the household charge, however at the
council meeting they were given an opportunity to take a stand on the
issue and to reject the charge and to protect the people who have been
unable to pay the €100 stealth tax. Instead the Labour party ran for
cover, Cllr Jimmy O'Shaughnessy left the chamber before the debate
started, Cllr Tom Fortune sat on the fence and abstained, whilst Conal
Kavanagh and John Byrne voted against the motion"

Cllr Brady went onto say "Unsurprisingly councillors from Fianna Fáil
and Fine Gael also voted against the Sinn Féin motion. The bottom line
is people in Wicklow like all other counties simply cant afford the
€100 stealth tax, people are struggling to put food on the table and
pay the bills and trying to get blood from stones simply doesn't work.
The introduction of the tax is simply the thin end of the wedge and
once registered payments for households will simply increase on an
annual basis.  The majority of Wicklow residents made the right
decision to refuse to comply with the governments policy of austerity
and they have taken a stand against the new tax and refused to pay.
The rejection of the motion now clears the way for the potential
criminalisation of thousands of Wicklow residents and the blame lies
on the shoulders of the Labour Party, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in
Wicklow"

Cllr Brady concluded "The vote in Wicklow just goes to show how out of
touch the so called public representatives are in Wicklow with the
people on the ground having to live with the policies of austerity
from the government. Sinn Féin will continue to fight against the tax
and will try introduce a bill in Leinster House in June to to repeal
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.
Sinn Féin will be tabling the bill during private members’ time in
June, this will give all TDs including Government ones an opportunity
to stand with the ordinary people of Wicklow and around the State who
are struggling to survive let alone pay the unfair and unjust
household tax" Ends



The full Sinn Féin motion 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 cant 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.