Bray Sinn Féin launch petition to get the 185 Bus back into Fassaroe

Bray Sinn Féin have launched a petition as part of their campaign to get the 185 Dublin Bus back into the Fassaroe Estate. Dublin Bus withdrew the bus last October due to difficulties turning buses in the estate.

Speaking after launching the petition in the estate Cllr John Brady said "Nearly a year has passed since Dublin Bus withdrew the 185 Bus from the Fassaroe Estate. The route provided a critical link for people from the estate, particularly elderly people to the town centre. Over that period i have spoken to Dublin Bus and council officials many times about trying to get the service back into the estate. The purpose of the petition and the campaign is to try put pressure on the powers to be and to show them the level of public feeling on this issue and the desire of them to get the service back."

Cllr Rossa Murray said "Unfortunately the buses were withdrawn because it was claimed there was difficulties in turning the buses in the estate. There is ample space within Fassaroe to provide the required turning space for the buses. What we need is the willingness to actually do it. The service is sorely missed and the fear is the longer the service is gone the more difficult it will be to get it back in."

Sinn Féin representative Oliver O'Brien went onto say "We have launched the petition which can be either signed on line at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/restore-the-185-route-to-fassaroe/, or alternatively we will be going door to door and people can sign the paper copy. We are encouraging people to take copies of it also and get their friends and family to sign it, copies can be got from any SinnFéin representative"

Cllr Brady concluded "What we need is the council and Dublin Bus to work with the community of Fassaroe to put in place the conditions to allow the 185 back into the estate. I have provided a number of options to the council and i think these provide the way forward. I don't think opening up cul de sacs from Palermo into Fassaroe is the solution and it will meet huge resistance from all effected residents and rightfully so. We aim on collecting as many signatures as possible before presenting them to the council in November."

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."

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

Wicklow Sinn Féin Launch comprehensive Jobs Plan

Wicklow Sinn Féin has launched its jobs plan which demonstrates that,
with political will, the government can deliver 156,000 additional
jobs.

Wicklow Sinn Féin County Councillor John Brady was joined by party
colleagues, Cllr Rossa Murray, Cllr Gary O'Reilly, Oliver O'Brien and
James Charlton for the launch in Ernie's public house in Wicklow Town
Cllr Brady said that the plan has been fully costed and provides a
socially responsible way to reduce the deficit and create and retain
jobs.

“In the last four years Ireland has shed more jobs than any other
western state per capita since the Great Depression”.

“Sinn Féin has identified €13billion which can be used to create jobs,
increase productivity and improve competiveness. This money would be
sourced from the European Investment Bank, incentivised investment
from the private pension sector and the National Pension Reserve Fund.

“Investment on this scale would retain 15,000 jobs and create about
156,000 jobs.

“Our jobs plan will invest in essential infrastructure; help
entrepreneurs by removing obstacles to doing business and supporting
them to retain and create new jobs; exploit the potential of existing
and new state enterprises particularly in broadband roll-out,
renewable energy and eco-tourism and invest in agri-food and rural
communities. In Wicklow we would create jobs by proceeding with the
N11 dual carriageway between Rathnew and Arklow, we would put in place
a Social Housing Development Programme. We would also invest in new
schools and primary care centers.

“Wicklow would also benefit from a new emphasis on agri-food and
seafood sectors as well as sustainable tourism.

Cllr Brady concluded “As an opposition party we will be pushing the
government to adopt these proposals to reverse the spiraling
unemployment and emigration that has plagued this county for years.”

The plan can be viewed at http://www.sinnfein.ie/files/2012/SF-Jobs-Doc-web.pdf