Budget passed and Bin Waivers saved

Westport Town Council passed a budget this evening setting a rate of 2.75% and providing €10,000 for a waiver system for the elderly and low income households in our town.

I am proud of this achievement and myself and my colleagues worked hard to ensure a waiver was retained. I am also happy that we managed to set such a low rate increase without reducing our council's ability to provide services and maintain quality of service.

Westport's greatest resource need their resource centre

Westport’s greatest resource are its people. The people who live and work here and those who travel from near and far to live and work here.

The ICTU has for almost two decades provided a resource for all, a resource valued by this town and those seeking work and information.

In the greater Westport area there are hundreds of marginalised, low income and unemployed people in this town who need help with their CVs, job and social welfare entitlements, training information and rely on resources like these to meet their needs.

Every year Westport is home to 800 non national workers who work in our town and who need advice, information and help.

Westport is a town without a FAS office, without a Citizens Information Centre, without a Money Advice and Budgeting Service, without consumer information or trade union office.

All of these were in some form fulfilled or deputised for by the Westport Resource Centre. We believe that with proper marketing of the centres facilities and by honing and augmenting those services we can ensure this centre remains a viable asset to our town and the workforce.

Westport Resource Centre is here for the marginalised in Westport’s Society and the Westport Branch of the Labour party is here today to call for the retention of his valuable resource.

We are calling on the Mayo ICTU to re-establish the Westport Trades Union Council and to re-open this centre.

We are preparing a proposal for Mayo ICTU, which will deal with funding and future planning, to ensure this centre remains open and viable.

Labour in Westport are preparing an action committee to put this proposal together and if necessary to plan a campaign of action to raise this issue at all levels of the Trade Union movement, the Labour Party and the local, regional and national media.

Stop the closure of Westport's Resource Centre

This morning, I contacted the David Begg, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, to request that the closure of the Westport Centre for the Unemployed be abandoned. I was dismayed to learn of the planned closure of the Centre in the local media.

This decision has been made without consultation with the local community, town council or labour movement. As a member of the Impact Trade Union, as a Labour Councillor and a socialist I am dismayed at this decision and by the complete lack of consultation and notice by the ICTU in reaching this decision.

There are no other resources like the Centre in town. We have no Citizens Advice Bureau, MABS, FAS, Consumer Affairs or Trade Union offices in Westport. The role of these organisations as Information Gateways was fulfilled by the Centre.

It is my understanding that the Centre is to be closed because it is not being used sufficiently. That is not the same as there being no need of its services but rather indicates a lack of awareness of the Centre’s resources and facilities among those who need the service most. Just two years ago Westport lost 325 jobs at Allergan the town’s largest employer. The town is also home to over 600 to 800 non national workers who travel here to work in Westport’s service industry and they too rely on the centre for CV’s, employment information and rights information like the minimum wage and advocacy information.

How are we to be expected to standup to the downsizing of businesses, job losses and relocation of labour if Westport is abandoned by the ICTU and the union movement?

I am calling on every person in Westport, every Trade Union member, every unemployed person and everyone who ever used the Centre in Westport to contact the ICTU on 01 8897777 to call on them to leave the centre open. Times are good now and they want to take this valuable community resource away, God help us when times get bad again.

Fairtrade Coffee morning report

Had a great time this morning at the Fairtrade Coffee morning. It was busy all morning except for a 10 minute lapse after the crowd from the 10.30am Mass.

We put these ten minutes to good use planning out our plans for the conferring celebrations which will take place on Feb 8 at 7.30pm in Hotel Westport. This will be a joint celebration between Westport and Castlebar and both of us will be receiving our official status on the night. We are organising invites to make sure we leave no one out and have arranged for a banner to put up over Bridge Street to mark the occasion.

Westport Town Council have really helped out with the celebrations and are making a substantial contribution towards the costs.

We are currently arranging a bit of music, food and of course Fairtrade wine for the evening and I have promised to ask the speakers to keep the speeches short!

There was a good crowd in from the 10.30am Mass, the Holy Trinity and the 12 o'clock Mass and I tried to help out and not get in the way too much. We met lots of supporters of Fairtrade and made a few converts to the cause as well. It was a nice way to mark the end of the status campaign.

Now we have to keep the momentum up over the coming years.

Free recycling at Civic sites for 2007

I am glad to say that Mayo County Council have backed away from introducing charges for recycling at the two Civic Amenity centres, for this year at least.

I was concerned by reports which appeared in the local media late last year, at which, the co-coordinator of the Connaught Waste Management Plan, Michael Joyce, spoke about the introduction of charges for recycling of household goods at the Mayo Civic Amenity centres as part of the Connaught regional plan. The comments of Mr Joyce seemed to indicate that such charges were to be introduced shortly.

I took the issue up with the members of the Environmental SPC at Mayo County Council. On Friday I received clarification from the Director of Services, Ray Norton, that this comment was "misunderstood" by the papers and that there are no plans bring in such charges this year.

While I am delighted and welcome the fact that there are to be no such charges planned for 2007, it has been indicated that Mayo County Council, will during 2007, consider what recyclables will be accepted in the future at the Civic Amenity site and ultimately whether charges will be introduced or not.

I am opposed to such charges which will punish those who are doing their bit for the environment. I think it will end up damaging the great progress that has been made in domestic waste recycling. Charging for recycling is another stealth tax and that the public should be rewarded for recycling not charged more money.

It would seem from the Connaught Waste Plan that a long term objective of the plan is to stop people using the recycling centres and thus create a bigger market for the waste collection services here in Mayo which, coincidentally have just been privatised.

Fairtrade tea and coffee morning

A photo of me at the first Fairtrade Tea and Coffee morning

I am off out the door soon to a Fairtrade Tea and Coffee morning. We are celebrating our achievement in gaining Fairtrade status and are celebrating by inviting everyone from town to come and have a tea or coffee with us in Carrowbeg House on the Mall.

We launched the town's Fairtrade bid there in 2005 so it is fitting that we are back. We have specially invited the congregations of St Mary's and of Holy Trinity churches. Despite the bad weather this morning I am sure they will turn out in droves to mark the occasion.

I have enjoyed the Fairtrade campaign and we got excellent support form the local papers and Mid West Radio. The churches of the town also really helped as did the Westport Chamber of Commerce who backed us early on.

It is a great achievement as a community and Westport's embracing of the Fairtrade programme will make a difference and hopefully will act as an encouragement to other towns to follow.

Photos

Contact Keith

For more information, contact Keith via email at kmartin@cllr.westporttc.ie
You can also call Keith on 086 0691182 (Phone and Fax)

If you are in the UK you can call Keith on his UK number 0709 2267817. This is a direct line to Keith in Ireland and can also be used to send Faxes on from the UK.

You can write to him at
Councillor Keith Martin
Westport Town Council
Westport Civic Offices
Westport
County Mayo

Keith's 2004 Election Manifesto

Better Local Government.

Free Parking in the car parks.

Playgrounds for the Quay and Newport/Golf Course Road areas.

Building of proper Public Toilets.

On-street Bus Shelters.

Shuttle Bus from the Quay into town.

Replanting of the Northwoods.

More Affordable Housing Schemes.

Proper Conservation of Westport’s natural and man-made Heritage & creation of a detailed list of heritage objects.

Purchase of the Bank of Ireland garden for the people of Westport.

A recycling program to operate door to door as an alternative to rubbish collection.
Street surfaces fit to drive on.

Proper consultation with Westport’s Residents and Businesses concerning the future development of the town.

Keith's committee work

Town Council Committees
Golf Course Road Community Building Management Committee
George A Birmingham Short Story Competition Committee
Westport Multi Agency Task Force for Development
Westport Town Council Tenders Committee
St Patrick's Day Parade
The Westport Conference Committee

Other Committees
Chairman Westport Food and Craft Market Committee
Westport Fairtrade Committee
Northwoods Neighbours Committee

About Cllr Keith Martin

Keith was educated at CBS Primary School and Rice College Secondary School. After the Leaving Certificate Keith worked in Westport and returned to education in 1999 to study at BCFE, Dublin.

Keith graduated with a Higher National Diploma in Print Journalism and continued his studies to graduate in 2001 with a BA Hons in Media Production and Management.

Keith worked for a little over a year as a freelance journalist having articles published in the Sunday World, The Examiner, The Mayo News and the Western People. Keith was also a sports reporter with Mid West Radio covering Westport Rugby Football Club.

In 2003 Keith began working as a Branch Librarian with Westport Public Library.

In addition to his council committees, Keith serves on Westport's Fairtrade Steering committee, is Chairman of the Westport Food and Crafts Market and is the Mayo Liaison Officer with The Irish Film Board.

In 2005 Keith helped productions such as the feature film Secret of the Cave and the television series The Last Furlong use Westport and Achill as locations for filming. Keith has worked hard as a councillor to organise the replanting the Northwoods area, to make Westport more accessible for those with disabilities and to promote Westport and Mayo as a venue for film making. Keith has acted as a liaison between Mayo local authorities and The Irish Film Board on projects such as the Feature Film Secret of the Cave and the RTE series The Last Furlong.

Keith supports the council's planned social and affordable housing schemes such as the Tubberhill scheme which will see over 90 units, built in two phases, of high quality townhouses and apartments.

Welcome to my blog

Hi,

Welcome to my blog. I will be transferring my info etc over from my website http://www.votekeithmartin.com/ over the coming weeks.

I look forward to a more interactive way of working with the people of the Westport area. All comments, suggestions and criticisms welcome!