Photos from the walkabout with Proinsias DeRossa

A Mayor for Westport?

Westport desperately needs a directly-elected mayor to ensure Westport develops in the 21st Century according to Cllr Keith Martin.  Cllr Martin says the town needs one strong voice and the consistent policies that can only be provided by a directly-elected mayor serving a five year term of office.

According to the Labour councillor the current system of rotating Cathaoirleachs results in confusion over civic leadership, lack of direction and a change of policy, every year, for five years, as different people occupy the chair.

Cllr Martin says the role of the manager as a "nanny" to oversee the councillors is something that should be left in the 20th Century. 

"Councillors need to have the power to effect real changes in their areas and the current system of management means it is far to easy to block councillors than it is for councillors to overrule management.  This needs to change.  The best way to move forward is to give more power to councillors and to have councillors work with an elected mayor instead of an un-elected manager.

"Managers come and go according to their career direction but a directly elected mayor is an individual with strong roots and a deep interest in their home town.  More importantly they are chosen directly by the people of the town and this gives them an accountability to the people as well as a mandate for their policies."

Cllr Martin is calling on the people of Westport to write to the Green Paper Consultation Local Government Project Development at the Custom House or to email greenpaper@environ.ie in support of a directly elected mayor for Westport.

"The Minister for the Environment has the power to bring in directly-elected mayors for towns as well as counties and cities.  It would be ridiculous to a have directly-elected mayor for Mayo and not in the towns of Westport, Castlebar and Ballina!

"To be the Mayor of this town, with the power to make a difference, is a dream job and the citizens of this town should have the opportunity to elect their Mayor.  It's a job I would love to do and it would be an honour if I was allowed the chance by Minister John Gormley to contest it!"

Council Candidate calls for grants to protect homes from deadly gas

The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) estimate that there are approximately 91,000 homes in Ireland with high levels of radon gas and so far only 4,000 of them have been identified.  It also estimated in 2004 that up to 20 per cent of homes in counties Sligo, Mayo and Galway may have high levels of the cancer-causing radon gas.

Cllr Keith Martin says it is unacceptable that there is still no grant scheme to assist people in making their homes safe from the gas. 

According to the Labour Councillor "Studies carried out in Ireland have found that the cost of carrying out remediation to reduce radon levels in homes with high radon levels is a major disincentiventive to carrying out remediation."

"The RPPI has recommended a programme of free radon measurements in all high radon areas, and that a grant system be put in place to provide assistance to householders for remediation works to reduce radon concentrations above the reference level of 200 becquerels per cubic metre.

"Labour's Emmet Stagg introduced a grant scheme in 1997 but it was never implemented by the subsequent Governments."

Radon is estimated to cause 150-200 cases of lung cancer every year, or 10-15% of all such cases in Ireland. Though naturally occurring, radon can sometimes become a problem when it enters an enclosed space, such as a building, and builds up to unacceptably high concentrations.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas which originates from the decay of uranium in rocks and soils. When it surfaces in the open air, it is quickly diluted into harmless concentrations, but when it enters an enclosed space, such as a school, it can sometimes accumulate to unacceptably high concentrations.

WTO and Lisbon

The real answer to arguments about whether Ireland can veto the WTO deal lies in the WTO system itself and how it interacts with the EU voting system.
The WTO operates on the principle that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.  The WTO Doha round covers a huge number of policy areas. Lisbon and the EU treaties provide for some areas to be decided by QMV and some by unanimity.
However any WTO agreement is accepted or rejected in total, it is not taken bit by bit.
Therefore if unanimity applies to one area of the WTO agreement it applies to all. Article 188 (207) states clearly that agreements covering trade and services are subject to unanimity after Lisbon.
These items are clearly on the WTO agenda so any agricultural deal in the WTO will be subject to unanimity after Lisbon.

Labour remembers Davitt

The Westport Branch of the Labour Party recently commemorated May Day with a wreath laying ceremony at Westport's Davitt memorial which commemorates the man and the meeting of the Land League in Westport.

 

Left to right David Fallon, Mary Martin, Sean Sammon, John McDonnell, Andy Martin, Cllr Keith Martin

Left to right Sean Sammon, Chairman Mayo Labour Party, Cllr Keith Martin

 

 

Proinsias De Rossa M.E.P. visit Wens. 28th May

Labour MEP Proinsias DeRossa will be visiting Westport on Wednesday May 28th.

He will be canvassing the main streets of the town and meeting with the Mayo members of Labour Party including Cllr Keith Martin, who has put such a huge effort into the Lisbon Campaign.

He is also happy to meet any of the local media during his visit.

You Must Register to vote by Friday 23rd

The Labour Party in Mayo wish to advise voters that anyone not registered to vote in the forthcoming referendum, have until this Friday, May 23rd to get added to the Supplementary Register.

According to the Party's PRO Cllr Keith Martin "You can check if you are registered by going to: www.checktheregister.ie.  If you are not registered, or know of others who may not, then download the relevant form at: http://www.checktheregister.ie.  These forms are also available from council offices and public libraries.

"This form must be signed  in the presence of a member of the Garda Síochána at your local Garda Station, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get the form signed before submitting documentation to Local Authority on or before Friday, May 23rd."

 

Town Plan Submission Allotments

Submission to Westport Town Council as part of consultation process of New Town Plan 2009 –2014

 

Allotments

By Cllr Keith Martin

 

 

 

 

 

I propose that Westport Town Council acquire agricultural land for the purpose of providing allotments to citizens of the town to allow them to grow vegetables, fruits and flowers.

 

This would allow citizens to develop sustainable and local foods for their own consumption and allow for food security and combat climate change through greater self-sufficiency and allotments are also a logical response to recent food price inflation.

 

The Office International du Coin de Terre et des Jardins Familiaux, a Luxembourg-based organization representing three million European allotment gardeners since 1926, describes the socio-cultural and economic functions of allotment gardens as follows:

• for the community a better quality of urban life through the reduction of noise, the binding of dust, the establishment of open green spaces in densely populated areas;
• for the environment the conservation of biotopes and the creation of linked biotopes;
• for families a meaningful leisure activity and the personal experience of sowing, growing, cultivating and harvesting healthy vegetables amidst high-rise buildings and the concrete jungle;
• for children and adolescents a place to play, communicate and to discover nature and its wonders;
• for working people relaxation from the stress of work;
• for the unemployed the feeling of being useful and not excluded as well as a supply of fresh vegetables at minimum cost;
• for immigrant families a possibility of communication and better integration in their host country;
• for disabled persons a place enabling them to participate in social life, to establish contacts and overcome loneliness;
• for senior citizens a place of communication with persons having the same interests as well as an opportunity of self-fulfillment during the period of retirement.

 

I would propose that these lands be purchased or compulsorily purchased under the

Acquisition of Land (Allotments) Act, 1926

 

2 1926 8

	Local authorities may provide land for allotments.	2.—(1) Whenever a local authority is of opinion, as a result of representations made to them or on their own motion, that there is a demand for allotments in their area and are further of opinion that the costs and expenses to be incurred by them in providing and maintaining the land for such allotments and otherwise in relation thereto may reasonably be expected to be recouped by the rents and other moneys to be received by them for the allotments, such local authority way resolve to provide land for such allotments under this Act, and may thereupon carry such resolution into execution under and in accordance with this Act.

Fingal County Council currently offer allotments measuring one tenth of an acre, for domestic use only for €19.00 p.a

 

Other councils offering allotments include South Dublin County Council, Galway City Council and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

 

 

According to the Irish Times May 10 2006

Allotments are popular because they enable you to:

·        Grow your own organic food or flowers

·        Exercise

·        Teach children about growing plants

·        Have a chat with your neighbours

·        Get out of the apartment and having your own small bit of outdoor space on the ground.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Councillor Keith Martin

Westport Town Council

 

www.councillorkeithmartin.com

kmartin@cllr.westporttc.ie

Phone/Fax 098 24852

Mobile 086 0691182

 

FW: Gaelscoil, Westport

This is a reply I have received in relation to the new Gaelscoil for Westport.  No real progress at all I am afraid.

PLEASE QUOTE OUR REF NUMBER ON ALL CORRESPONDENCE

Our Ref: 0802791/SR

 

 

Dear Councillor Martin,

 

Thank you for your recent email in relation to the proposed Gaelscoil in Westport. Co. Mayo.

 

The architectural planning of the building project referred to is at an advanced stage. The progression of all major projects to tender and construction, including this project, will be considered on an ongoing basis in the context of my Departments Multi Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

 

I hope this information is of assistance to you.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Batt O' Keeffe TD

Minister for Education and Science

---

From: Cllr Keith Martin (Westport) [mailto:kmartin@cllr.westporttc.ie]
Sent: 10 May 2008 15:46
To: OKeeffe, Minister
Subject: Gaelscoil, Westport

Dear Minister,

 

Can you update me as to the status of the new Gaelscoil building for Westport?

 

Yours sincerely

 

Councillor Keith Martin

Westport Town Council

 

www.councillorkeithmartin.com

kmartin@cllr.westporttc.ie

Phone/Fax 098 24852

Mobile 086 0691182

Lisbon video competition

The Labour Party wants students both 2^nd and 3^rd level to create short YouTube videos to engage the Irish public in learning about and supporting the Lisbon Treaty.

Students of all levels of familiarity with video production are encouraged to produce a one-minute short illustrating why they support the Lisbon Treaty. The style of videos can be humorous, such as Australia's hilarious and pointed "What have the Unions ever done for us?" (check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=184NTV2CE_c) or simply factual.

The Labour Party is offering a €1,000 prize for the best entry promoting a 'Yes' vote on the Lisbon Treaty. All interested second- and third-level students are greatly encouraged to make a submission.

For more information on what the treaty will do and its merits, visit www.labour.ie/lisbonreformtreaty/.

All submissions may be sent to campaigns@labour.ie in .WMV, .AVI, .MOV and .MPG formats (any format that is compatible with YouTube). The deadline for entries is June 1^st.

Labour's Lisbon Campaign

Labour's campaign

Eight reasons to vote Yes, according to the Labour Party.

Lisbon promotes our values;

Lisbon strengthens social rights;

Lisbon respects Ireland's neutrality;

Lisbon deepens the rights of citizens;

Lisbon fights global poverty;

Lisbon enhances the role of the Dáil;

Lisbon protects public services;

Lisbon tackles climate change.

Cooperative values are key to Mayo Farming future

Labour’s Cllr Keith Martin says that the current stranglehold by supermarkets on farmers and food producers can only be broken by reverting to traditional Co-Operative Values.

According to Cllr Martin "Unfair attempts by supermarkets to force down prices at the farm-gate is cutting margins to food producers. This has negative consequences for producers."

"As consumers we all subscribe to the ideal of cheaper food. However, the supermarket model needs competition. You can't have inexpensive food and advocate for a rural economy at the same time. There has to be a trade-off."

"The Co-Operative movement has embarked on a process of consolidation and has adopted a “company” model which guarantees a return to farmers for milk and grains but also squeezes them in terms of prices paid for sales of meat to supermarkets."

Cllr Martin, who is Chairman of the Westport Farmers Market on the Mall says "one way to offset this would be for farmers to revert to the old Co-Operative model that would see local producers selling in local markets. I believe that some consumers are ready to pay a premium for locally produced food which guarantees traceability."

"The real question we must ask ourselves is how can farmers compete with supermarket tactics that advocate a ‘buy one get one free' approach. Consumers have a responsibility in this regard also.

Personally I will always choose local beef, pork, lamb, chicken or vegetables that are produced locally over meats imported from as far away as Brazil or New Zealand. Shopping locally for local products insures that the consumer is buying a top quality product and at the same time is supporting local farmers, creating local jobs and investing in their own area.”

Tubberhill homes will be ready in September

According to Cllr Keith Martin the allocation of the first phase of Westport Town Council's Tubberhill housing scheme will not be made until September.

 

Cllr Martin says the council has informed him that there have been delays in the project construction and that there is now a revised construction programme, which means that the project is due for completion in September.  The first phase of the project is made up of 20 affordable units and 23 social units.

 

"While the delay is a disappointment it is not uncommon for construction projects to be behind schedule.  The Tubberhill development will go a long way towards meeting the current housing needs of the town, when complete, but already we must start to look for our next project. We must ensure people from the town get to live in their hometown and this is really possible through affordable housing.  Recently Westport Town Councillors amended our criteria to give long term residents of the town a better chance of getting an affordable home and I think this is only right" says Cllr Martin.

 

According to Cllr Martin the second phase of the Tubberhill development will commence later in the year and will take approximately 18 months to deliver additionally 46 units which will be divided between affordable and social housing.

 

Cllr Martin to address Summer School

Cllr Keith Martin has been asked to address this year's Tom Johnson Summer School in June. Cllr Keith Martin will be joining speakers such as Vincent Browne, Michael D Higgins and Siptu President Jack O'Connor as part of the line up of the three-day event, which will be held in Galway. Cllr Martin will be addressing the school on the topic of the Local Elections of 2009.

Thomas Johnson (1872-1963) was an Irish nationalist and Labour Party leader. He led the Irish Labour Party in the United Kingdom Parliament. Later, after Irish independence, he was elected a TD for Dublin County to the first Dáil Éireann in the 1922 general election and was the leader of the Labour Party until 1927.

As such, he was Leader of the Opposition in the Dáil of the Irish Free State, as Sinn Féin refused to recognize the Dáil as constituted. He is the only Leader of the Opposition from the Labour Party, or indeed from any party other than Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. He lost his Dáil seat at the September 1927 general election, and the following year he was elected to Seanad Éireann, where he served until the Seanad's abolition in 1936.

Each Summer, the Labour Party holds the "Tom Johnson Summer School" to discuss various issues and campaigns. This year's summer school is taking place from June 27 to 29 in the Menlo Park Hotel in Galway.

Look out!

The Lisbon Treaty campaign will kick off on Monday.

I will be up in Dublin for the launch of Labour's Lisbon campaign with the parlimentary party, other councillors and our Leader Eamon Gilmore; meanwhile in Westport we will be busy on the ground and up poles so keep an eye out for a familiar face beaming down on you from a nearby esb pole!

Ken Livingstone says goodbye after 8 years as London Mayor

Ken Livingstone (a personal hero of mine) has lost the Mayoralty to Boris Johnson. This is his speech at the results.

I am not bitter but I think that London will suffer for his going as his heart and soul were in the job. Ken Livingstone lived and breathed for London and his work for the Irish in London, his support of peace talks with the IRA and his promotion of equal rights for minority groups showed how far ahead of his time he was.

He has been a great supporter of the Irish Community in London and has built the St Patrick's Day parade into a city wide day of celebration.

Compare him with Boris Johnson who didn't want to be Mayor of London in the first place.

I wish Ken Livingstone all the best for the future. We won't see the likes of him again.

A different view

Keith Martin, originally uploaded by CllrKeith's.

May Day

Hope you had a nice May Day.

May Day refers to various labour celebrations conducted on May 1 that commemorate the fight for the eight hour day. May Day in this regard is called International Workers' Day, or Labour Day.

And don't forget that the May Day Bank Holiday weekend was brought to you by the Labour Party under Ruairi Quinn.

Ireland has too less bank holidays than the rest of Europe and as one of the hardest working countries on earth we deserve them.

The Labour Party continue to call for two extra bank holiday weekends.