Voluntary sector rent charges higher than many local authorities claims Brid Smith TD.Tenants face 1000 euro per year difference between local authority and voluntary housing rents”

People Before Profit TD Brid Smith has said that the rent charged by some voluntary housing agencies was out of synch with that charged by  local authorities  and needed firmer Government regulation. The deputy claimed that tenants cannot appeal rent rises by their voluntary agency to the RTB and effectively there was no control or oversight over these agencies.Read more »

Cllr Brid Smith successfully put down a motion at the SOUTH CENTRAL AREA COMMITTEE of DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL today (15th July 2015). The motion was agreed by the committe and  is outlined below. This is just one more event in the long saga of challenging Thorntons who continue to disregard the welfare of local residents. Brid is pledged to continuing the struggle to force this company to clean up their act.

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Area Manager’s Report

 

1. South West Inner City Area Report

Weavers Park, Cork Street

It is proposed to locate a 0.6 neighbourhood park is on the site of the demolished Chamber Court and Weavers Court. Meetings between the design team and local residents took place on 29th April and 24th June with 100 people attending the 2 meetings. It is expected that a report on the initiation of the Part VIII Planning Process will be made available for the September Area Committee meeting.

 

Bridgefoot Street Allotments

Work is continuing in both the community garden and the individual allotment plots. An event is planned in the site on 1st August to mark the first harvesting of potatoes.

 

Newmarket

Work has commenced to prepare a Public Realm Improvement Plan for Newmarket and its environs that will describe, support and guide the implementations of improvements to enhance the use and attractiveness of the area. It is expected that the plan will be finalized by the end of September.

 

Kilmainham Mill

The South Central Area has recently appointed a design company to develop a conceptual interpretive proposal for Kilmainham Mill, Kilmainham Lane. It is considered important that that any future plan complements the existing tourist attractions in the area. The plan is expected to be completed in 3 months.

 

City Walls, Cook Street

Tenders have been received and are being evaluated at present for the supply and fit of 11 floodlights at Cook Street to illuminate the old city wall.

 

St. Audeon’s Park, High Street

St. Audeon’s Park is included in the Liberties Greening Strategy. As part of the proposed improvements to High Street it is planned to redevelop the park to create a more open and publicly accessible park by removing railings and selective trees. It is expected that design works will commence shortly.

 

Dubline

The next stage of the Dubline Project was highlighted a photo shoot in City Hall on Monday, 22nd June. A series of 4 themed walking trails ‘The Story of Dublin’, ‘Rebellion’, ‘Echoes of War’ and ‘Empire’ have been devised to help tourists explore the city. Wayfinding signage has recently been installed whilst information panels will be placed at strategic points along the Dubline route in the coming months. A ‘mock up’ panel is on display at present in the atrium in the Civic Offices.

 

Dolphins Barn

Works to erect a boundary wall between the site of the now demolished City Council acquired buildings on the eastern side of Dolphin Barn and the rear limits of the houses at St. James Terrace commenced on 6th July. Due to the complexity of the boundaries it is expected that the work will take 4-6 weeks to complete. It is then planned to create a pop-up linear park in the area between the new boundary wall and the public footpath prior to its possible future development.

 

Re-roofing Programme

A programme to re-new the roofs in Thomas Court Bawn and Marrowbone Lane Flats was recently completed. Works to the roof lights, chimneys and tank houses were included.

 

A contractor has been selected to carry out similar works to the roof in Meath Place. This phase of the programme is due to commence shortly.

 

It is expected that remedial work to the roofs will be carried out later in the year at the following locations:

 

  • Summer Street South
  • Braithwaite Street (x2)
  • Pimlico Terrace

Basin Street Flats

Works to convert an additional 4 bedsits into 2 x 1 bedroomed flats are scheduled to commence shortly following the recently completed conversion of 4 bedsits in the same complex.

 

Community Initiatives

As part of The Liberties Festival a family fun day will take place from 11 am to 6pm on Saturday 18th July in the area adjacent to the community garden in Bridgefoot Street.

The Community Development team is assisting a number of summer projects/programmes in the South Central Area including the Bluebell Youth & Community Centre, the Bluebell CDP, the Family Resource Centre in Inchicore and the Mary Immaculate (Oblates) in Emmet Road.

The South Central Area Office is also supporting the St. Michael’s Parish Youth Project which is holding a pop-up festival in Goldenbridge from 7th to 17th July.

 

2. Crumlin Area Report

 

Drimnagh IAP Monitoring Committee

A meeting of the Drimnagh IAP Monitoring Committee has been organised for Wednesday 2nd September at 11 a.m. in the Crumlin Area Office to discuss traffic/parking issues in Drimnagh.

 

Outdoor Gyms

The City Council submitted 6 successful applications for Sports Capital funding in relation to outdoor gyms throughout the city, including Lansdowne Valley Park and Bunting Park.  Tenders have been invited and it is expected that the gyms will be installed later this year.

 

3. Ballyfermot Area Report

 

Community Events/Activities

Ballyfermot 1916 Commemoration Working Group

Grants are being assessed at present. We expect that grants will be awarded around September 2015.

 

Summer Projects

All summer projects are in full swing across the area.

Middle Ballyfermot Summer Project commenced July 6th for and will run for the month of July. This project is run on a voluntary basis and caters for up to 50 children and leaders.

Play Day/Skate Park Consultation day in Le Fanu Park 9th July.

Picnic in the Park in association with the Irish Architecture Foundation Saturday 11th July, information and consultation with residents and community in the nearby Le Fanu Park.

Eircode

Community contacts have been given to South Dublin County Volunteer Centre with a view to hosting information sessions in communities regarding the upcoming changes to nationwide Postal Codes which is taking place throughout the Summer of 2015.

 

Tidy Towns & City Neighbourhood Competition 2015

Works continue across the area to support community efforts in all competitions. Spiddal/Blackditch open space project will be completed in the next week. 5 a-side pitch to be marked out and mini-league to be organised late July/ early August.

Chapelizod, Ballyfermot & Cherry Orchard Tidy Towns continue to be active with their weekly clean ups in the village.

Age Friendly Alliance

First Older Persons Council meeting to take place on 17th July. 13 members from across the South Central Area have agreed to represent Older Persons interests in making the South Central Area a more Age Friendly part of the Dublin city. SCA Alliance to meet afterward to welcome Council members onto Alliance Group and begin implementation of work plan.

 

Support for Groups and Projects

The area continues to support all groups and projects in the area, to disseminate information regarding jobs and funding and assist all to access services and resources as needed.

The Ballyfermot Garden Club’s second summer outing and tour of the Historic House and gardens of Beaulieu House, Boyne Valley. Over 40 members of The Ballyfermot Garden Club enjoy these wonderful social and educational outings.

Ballyfermot Senior Citizen Forum, will be meeting on Thursday 16th July, to discuss issues and topics relevant to their area.

Environmental Works at Spiddal Park and Drumfinn Park

Upgrade works in these parks are nearing completion.  The painting of the railings in Drumfinn Park has now finished.  The painting and the re-lining of the football/basketball area surfaces in the parks will complete the project.

 

Re-Surfacing of Cherry Orchard Avenue

Re-surfacing works completed.

Cllr Brid Smith Calls on Minister Alan Kelly to immediately increase Traveller Accommodation Budget

In line with requirements of the DoECLG, DCC’s Traveller Accommodation Unit (TAU) in collaboration with the local Traveller organisations undertook a consultation process with Traveller families across the city to identify current and projected accommodation needs for inclusion in the TAP 2014-2018.

However, the budget allocation for the 2015 DCC TAP targets has recently been announced as a meagre €366,299. This is a devastating blow to the delivery of the TAP, the budget is such that it cannot deliver even a fraction of the targets nor will it make any positive impact on the accommodation needs of Travellers and Traveller families will be once again failed by the state as many families have already been waiting over a decade for accommodation.

 

The human cost of this on Traveller families is devastating. It is widely documented that accommodation is the most significant determinant on health and the gap between the health status of Travellers and that of the settled population is startling.

Life expectancy at birth for male Travellers is 15.1 years less than the general population,

Life expectancy at birth for female Travellers is now 70.1 which is 11.5 years less than women in the general population

Traveller infant mortality is estimated at 14.1 per 1,000 live births (compared with the general population rate of 3.9).

Travellers have a greater burden of chronic diseases than the general population

Suicide rates are nearly 7 times higher in Traveller men compared with the general male population.

Suicide accounts for 11% of all Traveller deaths.

Despite this stark reality the FG/Labour government has wielded a systematic and dramatic disinvestment in the Traveller community including Traveller Accommodation. .

Cllr Brid Smith and People Before Profit call on the Minister to meet with DCC and Traveller organisations as a matter of urgency and to provide the budget required to address the accommodation needs and we support the protest called by the local Traveller organisations 2pm at City Hall on 8th July.

 

For further information contact Cllr Brid Smith 087 9090166

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Press Release from Cllr Brid Smith:

An emergency motion on Clerys proposed by Cllr Brid Smith of People Before Profit has just been passed by the South Central Area Committee and will go to the full City Council Meeting on 6 July. It states:

“This area committee calls on Dublin City Council to refuse to grant any ‘change of use’ planning permission in respect of Clerys Store on O’Connell Street to Natrium unless this company meets with representatives of former Clerys workers to discuss saving their jobs or financial compensation by way of enhanced redundancy payments

Cllr Brid Smith said, ‘The treatment of Clerys workers has been an absolute disgrace – vulture capitalism at its worst- and a result of the policy of successive governments to hand over so much of Dublin to property speculators. This motion is a gesture of solidarity with the Clerys workers and hopefully it will make more difficult for these unscrupulous operators to walk away from their responsibilities to their staff.’

Ends. Contact Brid Smith 0879090166

At the May South Central Area Committee, one of the issues we discussed was the plans for Cherry Orchard. I raised the issue of cuts within the area and the effects it has to local projects; how we as a community need to come together with appropriate authorities and agencies to challenge this.

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