Boarded up council houses need to be allocated to Families

Bray Sinn Féin representatives Cllr John Brady, Cllr Rossa Murray and Oliver O'Brien have labelled the boarding up of council houses, especially during a housing crisis as disgraceful. They have also called for a management plan to be put in place to ensure vacant council houses and housing land banks don't become dumping grounds and magnets for anti-social behaviour.

Speaking after visiting vacant council properties on the O'Byrne Road Cllr Brady said "There is a serious housing crisis right across the state and Wicklow and Bray are no different. In Bray alone there are 827 families on the housing waiting list. It is absolutely disgraceful that at this point in the crisis council houses are still being boarded up and red tape is causing huge delays in them getting reallocated.In Bray alone there are nearly 20 boarded up houses, some of which have been boarded up since last year."

Cllr Murray went onto say "The current government policy of not building social housing is a flawed one which only serves to put money in the pockets of private landlords. When a council house does become available any work needed should be fast tracked to ensure it is reallocated as quickly as possible. Unfortunately too many houses are being left boarded up around Bray for far too long."

Bray Sinn Féin representative Oliver O'Brien continued "Keeping houses boarded up not only deprives another needy family of a home, but they also become magnets for anti-social behaviour and for dumping, this unfortunately drags the whole area down too. I have spoken to many people who have stated that they would willingly take a council house in any condition and carry out whatever work was needed themselves just to get a roof over their heads. Such is the seriousness of the situation these people should be listened to and these boarded up houses should be allocated immediately."

Cllr Brady concluded "The council has many land banks suitable for housing along with boarded up houses, these are all creating problems in communities across Bray. A plan needs to be put in place to ensure the houses are given to needy people as quickly as possible and that the land banks are not dumping grounds and magnets for anti-social behaviour. Only this week after repeated requests from myself and residents of Wolfe Tone, O'Byrne Rd and Sugarloaf Crescent the council has moved on site of a boarded up house on O'Byrne road and started to clear it out. Whilst government policy and red tape is creating a lot of the problems, the council should and cold be more proactive in ensuring houses are reallocated as quick as possible and that they are kept clean."

Wicklow Sinn Féin launch Pre-Budget Submission

Wicklow Sinn Féin has launched their party’s alternative budget. Wicklow councillor John Brady said Sinn Féin’s budget would lower the tax burden on ordinary families, protect public services and invest in jobs.  He said ordinary people would be better off under Sinn Féin.

Councillor Brady said; “The Sinn Fein budget will reduce the tax burden on ordinary families. It will protect public services and invest in jobs.

“We have identified a series of taxation and savings measures, fully costed by government departments, to reduce the deficit and pay for new spending measures.

“These include giving 1.8 million homeowners a tax rebate by abolishing the property tax, restoring the respite grant for 86,000 carers, taking 296,000 low income workers out of the USC, providing free school meals to five hundred more schools and halving the cost of school books, giving every child under five free GP care, extending the fuel allowance by three weeks, protecting the vulnerable – no more cuts to disability payments, no more cuts to Child Benefit, no more cuts to social welfare and introducing a stimulus to create thousands of jobs.”

Bray Sinn Féin representative Oliver O’Brien said “Austerity isn’t working. The government’s priority in this budget should be to protect citizens rather than meeting European diktats. Some 415,000 people are on the live register while 300,000 emigrated in the last four years. There are 49,000 people waiting for hospital treatments. 

One in ten children are living in consistent poverty with 47% of households living on less than €100 a month after bills. There are 90,000 households languishing on social housing lists while 180,000 households are in mortgage distress. This will be the seventh austerity budget from Fianna Fáil and this government which together will have taken €30 billion out of the economy.”

“People need a break. Sinn Féin’s alternative budget reduces the tax burden on ordinary families, protects public services and invests in jobs.” concluded O’Brien

Councillor Brady finished by saying “These proposals are all fully costed by the government’s budgetary costing unit.The document also sets out proactive measures to assist job creation, SMEs, the agriculture sector, and people in mortgage distress. It deals with corporation tax and natural resources and also stresses our commitment to equality budgeting.

“Our adjustment is just under €2.5billion. We believe that families need to be given a break.  Austerity is not working. The government needs to take its foot off the necks of the people. With this document we show how people are better off under Sinn Féin.” Ends

Huge queues at Wicklow Motor Tax Office were totally unnecessary and avoidable

Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has stated that the huge delays experienced at the motor Tax office in Wicklow County Council today (Monday) were totally unnecessary and totally unavoidable. Hundreds of people queued for hours to notify the council that their vehicle has been off the road and untaxed, motorists had until close of business on Monday 30th September to notify the council under new legislation brought in by the government on 1st July 2013

Speaking after talking to many angry people in the council buildings in Wicklow on Monday councillor Brady said “Wicklow County council was more like Dublin airport at the height of summer today, hundreds of people queued some for hours to declare their vehicle had been off the road and to try get it taxed.  The car park was totally overflowing and council staff had to stop cars entering and try redirecting them elsewhere.”

The Sinn Féin councillor continued “We have a farcical situation here in Wicklow on what I would imagine was the busiest day of the year for motor tax, we had the motor tax offices in Bray and Blessington closed. Today, Monday 30^th September was the last day for motorists to declare their vehicle was of the road. Under new laws motorists must now give prior notice that they intend to have the vehicle off the road. The council should have foreseen these queues happening because on Friday last the motor tax office in the council was exceptionally busy. So understandably on the last day it was always going to be even busier.”

Brady continued “In fairness to the staff at the motor tax office in Wicklow they worked exceptionally hard and additional hatches were opened to try deal with the huge volumes of people. However management should and could have quite easily put in place contingency plans and opened the tax offices in Bray and Blessington. Both offices only open part time, Bray opens three days a week and the office in Blessington only opens on a Tuesday. If these had of opened as a one off on Monday, they would have relieved a huge amount of pressure on the main tax office in Wicklow.”

“The council could have also arranged with the Gardaí to have a presence to stamp any paper work that was needed by people, other local authorities had put these arrangements in place. This cut down on people having to queue only to find out they needed the Gardaí to stamp the paperwork then return and queue again after travelling to the police station.”

Brady concluded “Whilst these exceptionally long queues and delays were a one off due to the new rules, they were however totally avoidable and should not have happened. The Department of the Environment should have pre-empted this and sent a circular to all councils asking them to put in place plans to deal with the huge numbers of expected people.” 

Monument for Wicklow Fire Fighters unveiled, National recognition now needed

Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor has called for national recognition for the sacrifices that were made by Wicklow Fire-fighters Brian Murray and Mark O'Shaughnessy who died in the town on 26th September 2007. The councillor was speaking after the unveiling of a monument in Bray on Saturday which is dedicated to the two brave men. He has reiterated the call that was made at the unveiling for medals to be given to the families in recognition of the men’s bravery and sacrifice.

Cllr Brady who is a member of the committee which was formed to oversee the installation of the monument said “I am absolutely delighted that after a huge amount of work over the last two years a monument is now in place to honour fire-fighters Brian Murray and MarkO'Shaughnessy, both men lost their lives whilst tackling a blaze in the town on 26th September 2007. In 2011 a committee was formed comprising of family members, serving fire-fighters and myself and our objective was to get a permanent monument erected in Bray in a prominent location to serve as a reminder of the huge sacrifice the two men made to protect and serve their community."

Brady continued "Thankfully the beautiful monument which was designed and manufactured by local artist Ciaran Patterson has now been unveiled and will serve as a reminder into the future the sacrifice the men made; it will also remind people of the problems within the service. I have always stated that ultimately the only fitting tribute to Brian and Mark would be the established of a full time fire service in Bray and the creation of a National Fire Authority which would have the funding and the powers to fix the problems within the service."

John went onto say "We have done what we can here in Wicklow to remember the two men and to ensure that moving forward lessons are learned from their deaths. I am now calling on the powers to be at a national level to do their share and that should be the creation of a National Fire Authority, this is Sinn Féin policy but the Labour Party in 2007 also committed themselves to it. At the unveiling of the monument on Saturday a representative of the fire-fighters called on the government and the fire service to award medals to the families for the bravery of the two men that died serving their community."

Cllr Brady concluded "I am reiterating the call for medals to be awarded posthumously to the families of Brain and Mark. The Walter Scott Medal for Valour is a medal awarded annually for bravery to members of the Gardai. I think a medal based on the Scott medal should be designed and awarded to the families of Brian and Mark to recognise the bravery of the men who died in the line of duty whilst serving their community."

Wicklow Sinn Féin to launch Seanad Referendum campaign

Wicklow Sinn Féin to launch Seanad Referendum campaign

Wicklow Sinn Féin will launch their Equality Not Elitism campaign on Friday 20^th September and they are calling for a YES vote to abolish the Seanad.

Wicklow County councillor and campaign spokesperson John Brady along with Sinn Féin representatives from across Wicklow will launch the campaign for a yes vote on Friday 20^th in the Glencormack Inn, Kilmacanogue.

Speaking ahead of the launch Cllr John Brady said:

“This referendum is hugely important and I am calling on people to turn out in big numbers and vote YES to abolish the Seanad in the referendum on Friday 4 October. Sinn Féin supports abolishing the Seanad because it represents a blatant inequality at the heart of the Irish political system.”

Cllr Brady continued “We know that the Seanad has failed to hold the Government and the Executive to account. In fact in the last two-and-a-half years, the Seanad has supported the government on every single occasion, including the introduction of the Property Tax, cuts to Disability Payments and the Promissory Note deal which is costing Irish tax payers €30 billion.

“The Seanad has promoted political cronies and allies rather than ideas or vision of change. Fianna Fáil, who now seeks to preserve the same Seanad, is the party which has done the most to reinforce the perception of the Seanad as a hot house of cronyism. The most damning feature of the Seanad is the elitism, inequality and discrimination that is at its core.” Continued Brady

The Wicklow Sinn Fein spokesperson went onto say “By restricting votes to an elite of those educated in a number of select colleges as well as City and County Councillors, the Seanad is anomaly in a modern democracy. There can be no place in a real republic, based on equality, for an elected office to which only a tiny percentage of the population have the right to vote. It runs in the face of the core principle that all citizens are equal. It is obviously wrong to most people that any elected office or parliament would discriminate against its own citizens based on where they were educated.”

Cllr Brady concluded “Sinn Féin seeks to build a New Republic on this island based on inclusivity and equality for all citizens. We want to see an end to privilege and elitism, and to the cronyism and the influence of vested interests that have so damaged politics in this country. Fairness, democracy and equality of citizenship demand that the current Seanad be abolished. Sinn Féin is appealing to voters to get out and vote in this referendum on October 4th, to vote for change and Vote Yes.” Ends

Bray Town Council needs to clean up their own backyard

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has called on Bray Town Council to put a maintenance plan in place to deal with the considerable land banks they hold around the town. Many of the land banks were obtained by the council for housing purposes, however a change of government policy has resulted in no new social housing being constructed, so not only is their policy creating a housing crisis it is also resulting in urban blight. The councillor made his comments after meeting with concerned residents from the Parnell Road area in Bray town centre.

Cllr Brady said "Over the the few months i have received a large number of complaints from residents from throughout the town about the condition of council owned properties and land. Unfortunately little or no action has been taken by the council to address the concerns expressed by the residents. Recently i met with residents from the Parnell Road area in Bray town centre, they are looking for the old Central Garage site on the road to be cleaned up. They where shocked when i informed them that the site is owned by Bray Town Council."

Cllr Brady continued "The old Central Garage site was acquired by Bray Town Council under Part V of the Housing Act and it was intended for the construction of social housing. Unfortunately a change of government policy has resulted in the curtailment of the construction of all social housing. This has resulted in the site on Parnell Road and other council owned sites that were acquired under the same process becoming derelict, overgrown, full of rubbish and magnets for anti-social behaviour."

Cllr Brady went on to say "Only this week we got some positive news that Bray has improved its score in the Tidy Towns competition, full credit must go to the council outdoor staff and the volunteers in the Bray Tidy Town group, however if action is not taken to tackle the serious problem that the site on Parnell Road and others around the town are becoming they could very quickly unravel the good work that is being done."

"Whilst we await a change of government policy to allow something to happen with these sites the council officials must direct additional resources and put in place a management plan to tackle the council owned eye sores which are located throughout the town, including the one on Parnell Road which is is just off the towns main shopping thoroughfare. The issue has been reported to the council, but unfortunately no action has been seen on the ground, people are now legitimately asking why they were forced to pay a property tax" concluded Brady

Building where two fire fighters died in Bray needs to be made safe - Brady

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady is calling on Bray Town Council to use their powers under the Local Government (SANITARY SERVICES) ACT, 1964, to deal with the dangerous derelict building where two fire fighters died whilst fighting a fire in 2007. The building is located at Adelaide Villas, in Bray and it has remained untouched since the deadly blaze that claimed the lives of fire fighters Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy.

Speaking after raising concerns about the safety of the derelict structure at a recent council meeting councillor Brady said “Following representations from the public expressing safety concerns about the derelict building on Adelaide Villas where the two fire fighters died tackling a serious blaze in 2007, I raised the issue at a recent Town Council meeting. The structure has large cracks in the walls and it appears to be unstable. This I image is down to the intensity of the fire in 2007. Children have been seen climbing over these walls and entering the site which has not been cleared since the lethal fire.”

  

Cllr Brady continued “I was however stunned at the flippant attitude and response I received from the officials when I raised the issue. The council have stated that the site is on the derelict site register since February. However they have also stated that this is only to deal with the how the site looks, they went further to say that they can’t stop children accessing the buildings. I believe however the council has other powers that it needs to use to ensure these dangerous structures are made safe immediately and they need to use them.”

“Section 3 of the Local Government (SANITARY SERVICES) ACT, 1964, deals specifically with dangerous structures; it lays out clearly the Powers at the disposal of sanitary authorities. The council can serve notice on the owner of the dangerous structure at Adelaide Villas to demolish it. The council also has the powers to have the necessary works carried out them, to ensure it is made safe in the interest of the public. The council needs to immediately get an engineer to inspect the structure to establish how unstable it is, whilst also engaging the owner.”

Cllr Brady concluded “As we approach the sixth anniversary of the deaths of Brian Murray and Mark O’Shaughnessy the last thing we need is another person to be injured or worse at this site. The owners have the primary responsibility to ensure the structure is safe. Unfortunately after nearly six years it remains the same as it did on the day of the blaze, the only thing that has changed is the safety of the structure. The council has the powers to deal with the eyesore that is literally a death trap and they must us those powers for the safety of the public.”

Funding cuts to Sunbeam House Services are callous and designed to hurt

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady has slammed a funding cut by the HSE to Sunbeam House Services in Bray as callous and designed to inflict the most pain on the most vulnerable in society. The cut of €189,461 was imposed on Sunbeam House Services in August and has resulted in the immediate withdrawal of transport services to and from Sunbeam for clients.

Speaking after meeting with some of the effected families Cllr John Brady said "I am truly shocked that the HSE who are acting at the behest of Fine Gael and Labour could be so callous by imposing a funding cut of €189,461 to Sunbeam House Services in Bray. The cut is clearly designed to inflict maxium hurt and pain by being imposed at the latter end of the financial year, this huge cut is on top of a 2% cut that was imposed at the beginning of the year. Sunbeam House Services provide an excellent service for people with intellectual disabilities, they are based in Bray and service users attend from right across Wicklow."

Cllr Brady continued "Sunbeam Services had been given no prior notification of the cuts and they were only discovered on 14 August. Unfortunately Sunbeam House Services had to put in place cost saving measures that will meet the additional €189,461 cuts before the end of the year. These cuts unfortunately include the curtailment in transport services in the North Wicklow area along with limiting of trips for clients. Letters have been issued to service users informing them of the unfortunate cuts that had to be made by Sunbeam House Services to protect direct service provision. I have spoken to a number of families that will be directly impacted by this unprecedented action and they are still reeling from the shock and still trying to come to terms and are trying to put in place alternative arrangements. The cut to transport will immediately effect 44 service users from the Greystones, Delgany and Bray areas."

"I brought this very serious attack on people with disabilities up at Mondays Wicklow County Council meeting. I proposed a motion slamming the cuts and demanding their reversal, the motion was broadly supported. The council is also writing to the Labour Minister for Disabilities Kathleen Lynch and to the Fine Gael Minister for Health James Reilly. The letter will outline the serious concerns of the council about the cuts and the impact it will have on the sector. The letter will demand that the funding is restored to ensure Sunbeam House Services can continue their excellent work and that there are no further cuts. A request for a representative from the HSE to attend a council meeting is also to be issued."

Cllr Brady concluded "People with disabilities and those who work in the disability sector are genuinely fearful what the future holds for them. With these callous cuts people know only too well the impact they will have. A government has to be judged by how they threat the most vulnerable in society and these cuts show clearly what the government think of its citizens and these huge cuts speak volumes. These cuts will only serve to ensure the daily struggle endured by those with a disability continues to get harder, these cuts need to be reversed immediately."

Protest to be held outside Bray Town Council meeting as Springfield Cemetery Committee push Forward Motion

A protest will be held outside the monthly meeting of Bray Town Council on Tuesday 3rd Septemember at 6.45pm. The protest has been organised by the Springfield cemetery committee which was set up to protect their loved ones graves in Springfield, this followed an announcement Bray Town Council that for 1st September the council would remove flowers ornaments and other mementos from the graves and revert the cemetery to a lawn cemetery. A motion will also be tabled on the evening on behalf of the committee.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Sinn Féin councillor John Brady said "As the deadline set by Bray Town Council of September has passed for family members to remove flowers, ornaments, mementos and other items they may have on their loved ones graves, the council meeting may be the last opportunity the public may have to get their public representatives to listen and act on their behalf. The committee have organised a public protest too coincide with the tabling of a motion that i plan on putting forward on their behalf. The protest will assemble at 6.45pm at the old Town Hall Building."

Cllr Brady Continued "I believe that the motion the committee has brought forward is compromise that should be acceptable to all the council members. This motion is a sincere proposal to try end this terrible situation that has been ongoing now for the last three months and has left a large number of families hurt and heartbroken. The committee has already submitted a petition to the council containing over two thousand signatures asking the council not to impose an old lawn cemetery policy on grieving families that were unaware of its existence."

Cllr Brady concluded "Members of the community want to work with the council to improve Springfield cemetery and this motion provides the council with a template to harness that community spirit and to work with people. I am strongly urging the public to come along to the protest on Tuesday, i also urge all the public representatives to give the motion careful consideration and work towards improving the cemetery for everyone."  

The Springfield Cemetery motion that will be tabled at the council meeting reads as follows: 

The existing lawn policy of Bray Town Council has never been fully implemented since the cemetery opened in 1982. In the early years the families who buried their loved ones in the cemetery were informed of the council lawn policy; however this has not been the case over the last 13 years. This has resulted in a large number of families planting flowers and leaving ornaments and other mementos on the graves. We believe it would be very incentive and hurtful to try imposing the lawn only policy on these families after such a lengthy period. The council in cooperation with the community will set up a Springfield Cemetery Committee. This committee will consist of Council Officials, Cemetery staff, and family members who have loved ones buried in the cemetery. This committee will draft a master plan for the cemetery to oversee the installation of an Angels Plot and Urn Wall along with the upgrading and maintenance of the cemetery to the highest of standards. Funding for these projects will be identified and ring-fenced.        

From 1st September the council will rigidly enforce the lawn policy for all new burials. Any existing graves that have flowers etc. on them will not be interfered with so long as they are maintained to an acceptable level. If the maintenance drops below an agreed standard set by the Cemetery Committee the council or agents working on behalf of the council will be permitted to turn the grave to a lawn in consultation with the Cemetery Committee.

Palisade fencing compound in Bray Harbour to facilitate work on Bray Boxing Club

Sinn Fein Councillor John Brady has stated that the new compound that
has been constructed in Bray Harbour is a temporary structure which is
necessary for the redevelopment of Bray Boxing Club.

Speaking after being contacted by members of the public Councillor
Brady said "Over the last few days i have been contacted by several
members of the public about the compound that has been erected in Bray
harbour. The palisade fencing compound is a temporary structure that
is crucial for the long awaited redevelopment of the Bray Boxing Club
that's located in the area. Work on the new facility has started and
the storage compound was deemed necessary to facilitate the works on
the Boxing club."

Brady continued "I understand that members of the public had initial
concerns when they seen the palisade fence and the fact that it takes
up some of the limited car parking spaces. People also expressed
concern that it blocks signs erected relating to the swans in the
harbour. However when it was explained the temporary need for the
compound people are very understanding. The long term benefits of
having a state of the art boxing club in the area greatly out way any
short term losses."

Brady concluded "I think it would be a good idea for the council to
erect a sign on the compound stating its temporary purpose along with
an artists impression of the new boxing club building. I believe it
will allay any concerns people may have and will completely win the
support of all the public." Ends

Sinn Fein select Bray candidates for Local Elections

Sinn Féin members from the Bray area held their selection convention
on Friday last to choose candidates for the Local Elections which are
due to be held in May next year. Sinn Féin members selected Cllr John
Brady and Oliver O'Brien to contest the elections after Cllr Rossa
Murray decided not to stand for re-election to the new reconfigured
local authorities.

Bray Sinn Féin councillor Rossa Murray stated "On Friday last a large
number of party members from the Bray area attended the selection
convention to choose candidates to contest the local elections in the
Bray area. I had previously informed the party of my intentions not to
put my name forward for reelection, come the elections i will have
spent five years representing the people of Bray at council level. I
believe getting elected to represent the people is the highest honor
that anyone can be given and i am both honored and privileged to have
done so. However it is very time consuming and it has a tendency to
take over your life,its also very difficult with my job as a bus
driver because of the shifts i work. I will have served the people for
five years and i believe the time is right for me to take time out to
spent with my family."

Cllr Murray continued "On Friday at the convention i had the honor of
proposing my party colleague Oliver O'Brien as a candidate to contest
the elections, this was unanimously supported by all the membership.
Oliver is a very popular teacher in St. Fergals senior school were he
has taught for over 30 years. He is also the chairperson of the Fergal
Ógs GAA club in Bray. I believe he will make a excellent candidate and
will make a fantastic Councillor when elected. He has served the
community in the Ballywaltrim area well over many years and he will
bring a new dynamic and energy to the council."

Cllr Murray went onto say "My friend and colleague John Brady was also
selected to contest the elections again after receiving the continued
support of the membership of the party to continue the work he has
been doing over the last 10 years."

The newly selected Bray Sinn Féin candidate Oliver O'Brien said "I am
delighted to have been selected  to contest the upcoming local
elections for Sinn Féin. I am truly humbled to have been proposed by
Rossa and i hope i can be at least half as good of a Councillor as he
is. I believe the time is now right for me to take on this new
challenge. I have been a school teacher in St. Fergals now for over 30
years, i think the issue that has driven me to take the decision to
put my name forward for election are the cuts in education. I am on
the front-line and i know only too well how the cuts to education will
impact on the children of today. I have seen Bray develop over many
years, whilst there have been many positives, unfortunately there have
been negatives too. I have seen communities break down and people
getting left behind. I have been involved in community work all my
life and i am currently chairperson of the Fergal Ógs GAA club, i
believe i can use my skills to help put communities and people first
and help build a better Bray for everyone."

Oliver O'Brien concluded "I look forward to the challenge that lies
ahead, Sinn Féin in Bray and right across Wicklow continues to go from
strength to strength. I am looking forward to working alongside my
colleague John Brady, i believe we make a very strong team that will
put people and communities first."Ends

Commencement of water charges in October 2014 is a cynical move that will deepen recession

Wicklow Sinn Féin councillor has described the government’s decision to hold off issuing water tax bills until after next year’s local elections as a cynical move that will drive us deeper into recession.

Cllr Brady said “Minister Hogan has admitted that the water charges will commence in October 2014 and that Families will receive the bills in early 2015. This is a cynical move, the government is holding off until after next year’s local elections before anyone receives a bill for water. Fine Gael and the Labour Party know that to issue the bills before May would certainly mean a loss of council seats. The current proposal to charge households for water was dreamt up by Fianna Fáil but brought to life by Fine Gael and Labour.”

“Water charges are wrong. To charge people for the water they drink is unacceptable. The reality is struggling families will be hit with yet another bill. In Denmark, with a population similar to our own, water metering is in place and in 2007 the average cost was €715 per household.

The Sinn Féin councillor continued “The government spins a myth that we do not pay for our water.  We pay for our water service in our taxes. Water charges will mean the public pay three times for their water. Firstly in their general taxes, secondly through this new charge and, finally, they will pay through the National Pension Reserve Fund, which is being used to fund the installation of water meters. Local Authority Professional Officers have given estimates of €1.2 billion to cover the cost of the installation. It is ordinary householders who will be footing the bill.”

Brady went onto say “Revised data from the Central Statistics Office shows the economy contracted in the second-half of last year and shrank another 0.6pc in the first three months of 2013. This means that we have again officially entered recession for the first time since 2009. Many experts believe this is down to the introduction of the property tax, even the Fine Gael transport minister Leo Varadkar has said that the property tax has played a part in Ireland’s return to recession.”

Brady concluded “The bottom line is austerity isn’t working and it is simply pushing us deeper into recession. Sucking millions more from the pockets of people who don’t have it to pay for a tax on water that they have already paid for is wrong and must be halted. Even the former head of the IMF mission to Ireland Ashoka Mody, has admitted that the austerity-only policy chosen for the handling of Ireland’s EU-IMF bailout was a mistake. What we need is to get people back to work and to stimulate the economy, as opposed to forcing those who haven’t got anything left to give pay for the mistakes of the previous government. Water taxes are wrong and Sinn Féin will continue to oppose their introduction.” Ends

Bray Town Council Agree to meet Families in Springfield Cemetery Fiasco

Over 75 people attended Bray Town councils July meeting to oppose the
councils threat to remove items from their loved ones graves in
Springfield cemetery in Ballywaltrim. A petition containing over 2000
signatures were handed over to the chairperson of council opposing the
councils attempt to enforce an old council policy of having
Springfield as a lawn cemetery. Bray Town Council have erected signs
in the cemetery stating that from 1st September the council will start
removing flowers, plaques and other mementos from graves in
Springfield to turn it into a lawn cemetery. The council has agreed to
meet a representative group from the families and have committed not
to touch any graves before that meeting is held.

Sinn Féin councillor John Brady who opposes the councils attempt to
retrospectively enforce their lawn cemetery policy stated “Over 75
people showed up to the July meeting of Bray Town Council to oppose
the council’s decision to try enforce their lawn cemetery policy in
Springfield, this is after allowing families maintain the graves
themselves for over 12 years. This decision of the council has been
the cause of great hurt to family members who have loved ones buried
in Springfield. A petition opposing the council’s policy which
contained over 2000 signatures was handed to the chairperson of the
council before the meeting commenced.”

Cllr Brady went onto say “Unfortunately despite having asked, the
issue of Spingfield was not on the agenda for the council meeting, so
at the beginning of the meeting I requested a suspension of standing
orders to allow the sensitive issue be discussed. This was supported
by my party colleague Rossa Murray.”

Brady continued “I stated that it was insensitive and wrong for the
council to try penalise families now for the councils complete failure
to enforce their own policy and that the council must now come to some
compromise due to the fact that families have for over 12 years been
allowed maintain and keep small mementos on their loved ones graves
and that its totally wrong to penalise families for the councils
ineptitude.”

Cllr Brady concluded “After some lengthy debate on the issue it was
finally decided that the council officials and councillors would meet
with a representative group of family members to discuss the situation
in Springfield and the council committed not to touch any graves until
that meeting takes place. I am delighted that the council officials
and other councillors have now agreed to sit down around the table and
try resolve this very sensitive issue. This breathing space provides
the council an opportunity to look at a number of options and possible
compromises to get themselves out of this mess of their own creation
and to allow family members tend to their loved ones graves in the
loving way there have been doing now for many years.”  Ends

Dublin Bus shelve plans to curtail the 145 route to Kilmac

Sinn Fein councillor John Brady has welcomed the decision by Dublin
Bus to shelve their plans to scrap the 145 bus route to Kilmacanogue.
The Sinn Féin councillor was informed this week by the operations
manager of Dublin Bus that plans they had to terminate the 145 at
Springfield cemetery as opposed to Kilmac will now not proceed.

Speaking after receiving the positive news Councillor John Brady said
"I am delighted that common sense has prevailed and that Dublin Bus
has scrapped their plan of cutting the 145 bus route to Kilmacanogue.
When I first discovered the plans of Dublin Bus to cut the route back
in February it caused huge levels of concern in the village which
resulted in a big community campaign of opposition. The community
fought long and hard to get a bus service to Kilmac and they certainly
weren't prepared to give it up without a fight."

Brady continued "The 145 bus provides a critical link for the people
in the village and the evidence of that showed when i called a public
meeting on the issue in Kilmac in March, when over 150 people turned
up to listen to how the service could be saved. At that meeting many
people voiced their opposition to the plans, but more importantly
there were many constructive proposals on how to save the route,
improve and enhance it. We compiled a petition with over 1500 people
signing it, i also had the issue dealt with at a meeting of Wicklow
County Council and a motion was passed opposing any plans to cut the
route and this was relayed to Dublin Bus also."

Brady went onto say "Unfortunately it was disappointing however that a
number of requests to officials from Dublin Bus to sit down with a
representative group of residents and users of the route from Kilmac
was turned down. The reason given was that they don't do public
consultation, which is quite bizarre as Dublin Bus is there to provide
a public transport service and they receive substantial subsidies to
do so. One would imagine consulting with the public user with be a
critical part of the process in determining routes."

Brady concluded "Since February I have remained in constant contact
with officials in Dublin Bus and continued to voice opposition to
their plans, so i was delighted when I was finally informed that
curtailing the route at Springfield cemetery is now off the cards.
This is fantastic news for everyone in Kilmac and shows that when a
community comes together they can achieve a lot. I have committed to
work with Dublin Bus to try improve the service now and try address
any small issues that maybe of concern to the officials within Dublin
Bus. I will also continue now to push for a bus shelter and other
improvements for the public in the Kilmac area." Ends

Action needed to address the old A O'Smith site in Bray which has become a magnet for Criminal Activity

Wicklow Sinn Féin Councillor John Brady has called for immediate
action to be taken to address the dangers posed by the derelict A O'
Smith building on the Boghall Road in Bray.
A O'Smith once housed over 140 employees before its closure in 2005,
the building has now fallen into a state of dereliction and is used as
a drug den and a haven for anti-social behaviour and criminal
behaviour.

The Sinn Féin Councillor said “The A O'Smith building which at its
peak employed up to 200 people, was one of the best maintained
businesses in Bray. Unfortunately since it closed in 2005 it has been
allowed to fall into a state of dereliction which is not only an eye
sore but it is also the scene of constant criminal activities. I have
spoken to firefighters who were recently called to the site to deal
with a fire and they have stated the inside of the building is strewn
with syringes. I have also spoken to other members of the community
who regularly witness large groups of people entering the premises for
drug parties. I also believe a number of people are living and
sleeping in the dangerous building. Action is needed immediately to
secure the site and clean it up but most importantly to get positive
plans in place for the future of the site".

"The site is owned by 2 Galway business men, however the IDA have a 99
year lien on the site. A number of years ago at the height of the
property boom the IDA did formulate a price for the lien they hold,
however it was deemed too high at the time by the businessmen and
unfortunately the site has lain derelict since. I have constantly been
raising this issue with the council and in November 2007 it was
entered on the Derelict Sites Register. However after some minor works
to secure the building it was removed from the register in 2008. Once
entered on the register the owners must pay an annual levy to the
local authority. This levy amounts to 3% of the market value of the
land concerned".

Cllr Brady continued “There is a responsibility on the owners of the A
O'Smith site to take action to address this eyesore which is a big
public safety concern; the owners can’t abdicate their
responsibilities. There is also a big responsibility however on Bray
Town Council and the IDA. I am calling on the council to take the lead
on this serious issue to try get action on the ground, the council
must immediately enter the site on the Derelict Sites Register again
as a starting point. They must also organise a trilateral meeting
between all interested parties to try put in place plans for the
immediate future of the site. The council must use all its powers to
address the issue and all options need to be explored, there are
specific regulations about dangerous structures. The local authority
can direct that work, including the demolition of the structure and
the clearing of the site be carried out immediately if it considers it
necessary".

Cllr Brady concluded "I believe at this point in time all options must
be on the table so as the safety of the community of Ballywaltrim and
Bray is protected and the eyesore that is the
A O'Smith site is dealt with. We have already lost one member of the
community who unfortunately died on site in 2010 and we don't want any
more". Ends