Submission on proposed courthouse closures

Mayo is the 3rd largest county in Ireland and it has a rising population.  The removal of the courthouses of Achill, Westport, Swinford and Ballyhaunis would leave huge areas of the county and the population without access to a local courthouse.

The local courthouse like the local pub, shop, post office, Garda station and bank is one of the cornerstones of rural Irish life and has been since the legal system was established in this country.

It is accepted that justice must be done and must seen to be done and that justice delayed is justice denied I would contend that justice must, like governance, must also be as local as possible.

Court is a distressing place to those unfamiliar with it.  They can also be intimidating places whether you are a defendant, plaintiff or a witness.  

One of the main benefits of local courthouses such as Westport's is that the court takes place locally and an individual can rely on friends and family for support and does not have to add the stress and expense of travel and food onto an already overburdened individual.

Many people attending court must rely on public transport and its often illogical and inconvenient schedules to get to and from court.

When a crime is committed locally it is great to see that it is dealt with locally and that justice is not the prevue of some distant court but is actually executed locally.

If Achill court house is closed then local court users will have to make a 73km journey to Belmullet, which is the chosen alternative venue this is incredible unfair on a community who have already lost so much community infrastructure.

Courthouses are not just buildings; they are service centres, community features and symbols of justice, justice that is local and accessible.

Fwd: Childrens Allowance and respite care

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Councillor Keith Martin <councillorkeithmartin@gmail.com>
Date: 7 December 2012 02:37
Subject: Childrens Allowance and respite care
To: eamon.gilmore@oir.ie, colm@colmkeaveney.ie


Dear Party Leader and Dear Party Chairman,

I am writing to you both to outline my concerns in relation to the changes to the Children's Allowance and to the Respite Care grant.

The Children's allowance must be means tested even if it is along the lines of self declaration like the new property tax.

It is unfair on families with special needs, the elderly and particularly autistic children to reduce the respite care grant.  This is often the only chance that carers get to have some time of their own.  Again means test it or whatever but do not bring this in as is.

We must protect those who need help most, it's why I am a proud member of the Labour party.

Please make the necessary changes.

Please also do not allow abortion law to fall off the agenda.

Sincerely

Keith Martin

Westport

My letter to the Irish Times.

Hogan's abolition plans could be scuppered under the constitution

Phil Hogan's plans to abolish Town Councils could be derailed by the 20th amendment to the Constitution, which put local government on a constitutional footing in 2001.

That's according to Labour's Cllr Keith Martin who says that a legal challenge is a distinct possibility as town councillors across the country network to discuss moves to avert the proposed abolition of their councils.

"We are looking at all angles of both political pressure and legal action in relation to fighting the abolition of town councils.  A legal challenge based on the constitutionality of the proposal to abolition an entire layer of local government is one of the measures being discussed."

The 20th amendment enshrines local government into the constitution and ensures that the state recognises role of local government in providing a forum for the democratic representation of local communities, in exercising and performing at local level powers and functions conferred by law and in promoting by its initiatives the interests of such communities.

"We believe that this amendment created an expectation, beyond reasonable doubt, that Irish citizens would, under the constitution, have a vote every 5 years to elect members to their town councils to perform the range of functions also enshrined in the constitution.  This would mean that it would be impossible for Phil Hogan to abolish town councils without the support of a referendum."

Cllr Martin says he will be attending a Labour Party policy meeting in Galway on Monday where he will raise the issue with his party.  This follows on from a similar meeting in Munster where the regions councillors called on the party to reverse the abolitions.

Facebook post tonight

Cllr Keith Martin

If angry tweets and Facebook posts solved anything there would be peace in Israel and Palestine tonight. 

If only all that self righteousness on both sides could be harnessed for good. 

There will be no victory for either side, there is no black and white, no goodies and baddies, just grey dust, tears, bloodshed and death. 

None of your rants are doing anything to change that. 

Who fired the most rockets and who killed the most people are tragedies, not statistics to use to justify further tragedies.

Israel and Palestine need a peace process and none of the "debate" I have seen here on Facebook is of any help at all. 

Recriminations will get you nowhere and will win nothing. 

We must be a friend to both nations, an honest broker and share our experiences with them and help lead them to the peace that we have eventually found here on our little island. 

Maybe then both peoples will find out, like we have, that there is more to unite us than divide us, that hate leads to hate and that we share more in common with each other than we realise. 

As John F Kennedy once said "For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's futures. And we are all mortal." 

-----Keith Martin

YES ON SATURDAY

Labour's Cllr Keith Martin is calling on Mayo voters to turn out in record numbers and to VOTE YES on Saturday.

Cllr Keith Martin says "This referendum is a chance to insert the rights of children into the Constitution, and to provide for their safety and welfare. I would like to see a record turnout on Saturday to create a better Ireland for our children.

"There is too much wilfully misleading comment flying about on this issue. It is important to restate exactly what this referendum is about.

"First, it provides an explicit guarantee by the State to protect the rights of children.

"This amendment will ensure that the horrors inflicted on Irish Children in the past can never happen again. 17 reports in the last 30 years have all documented child protection failings. Many called for a change to the constitution as the basis of any meaningful reform in child protection. This change to our Constitution is necessary if we are to ensure that all children in Ireland are sufficiently protected by law.

"Secondly, it allows for adoption where it's in the best interests of the children, regardless of whether the parents are married or not.

"It will allow the almost 2000 children trapped in long term state care to be adopted and given a second chance at having a loving stable family.

"This amendment will allow for adoption in cases involving a child of married parents, only if the child has been in long-term state care and cannot successfully return to their birth family. Currently up to 2000 children in Ireland cannot be adopted because of the constitution.

"And finally it provides that the best interests and views of the child have to be taken into account when the court is making decisions in particular cases, such as separation proceedings.

"These are the issues people will be voting on this Saturday. A clear-minded and fair analysis calls for a resounding Yes vote. I urge people who are still undecided to sit down for just five minutes and have a look at the impartial information booklet that has been sent to every home by the Independent Referendum Commission.

"A record turn out and a YES vote will send out a clear message that we in Mayo are taking Children's rights seriously."

Keith Martin

086 0691182

 

VOTE YES

Cllr Keith Martin is urging a YES vote in the upcoming Children's Referendum.

 

According to Cllr Martin "A Children's referendum was a key commitment in Labour's Manifesto, and when we go to the polls on Saturday November 10, we will have the opportunity to state clearly and unequivocally that the Irish people value children and childhood, that children have a right to be cared for and protected, and that they should not be silenced or side-lined."

 

It will mean that Children will be recognised in their own right

It will provide an express statement of rights for all children in our constitution

It will make all children equal in the eyes of the law

It will give children a say on their future care

It will require Courts to listen to the child's view and to consider their best interests

 

Vote YES

Chruch Gate Thanks

The Westport Branch of the Labour Party would like to thank all those who gave so generously at their Church gate collection last weekend.

Branch Chairman Cllr Keith Martin says "We are very grateful to the parishioners of St.Mary's and Holy Trinity Churches for their generosity and support.

"All funds raised at the church gate collection are kept by the Westport Branch and are spent in Westport on election campaigns and party activities.

"We appreciate that these are difficult times and gratefully appreciate the generosity and goodwill we received."

Update from Keith

Putting People First-the end of local democracy?

1. How does the elimination of 75 town councils and 700 local representatives enhance local government and accountability?
2. How do you justify increasing the ratio of councillors from 1 in 2,336 (2nd lowest in EU)  to 1 in 4,800, making us the most under-represented country in the EU.
3. Is it really worth doing to save €6 million?
4. If so, why isn't Greece doing the same (1 councillor per 1,000) or France (1 councillor per 118) or Germany (1 councillor per 350).
5. Why are the same people being elected to both Municipal Area Councils and County Councils, What about the Dual Mandate?
6. Is cutting 7 regional assemblies an increase in local government?
7. Why are there no direct elections to the remaining regional assemblies?
8. Why are you voting to remove Town Councils, Borough Councils and City Councils which have existed separately for centuries in the interests of savings only, taking in no account the historical, economic, cultural, social and morale impact of such a move?  Meanwhile Dublin is to be left as 4 separate local authorities for no good reason.
9. Why has no effort been made to differentiate between effective, efficient and successful councils and other less effective councils?
10. Why are Councillors to be removed from the planning process even further by the removal of their powers under Section 140.  Section 140 is the provision whereby Councillors have the last say over the Executive and is an important piece of legislation which ensures that local government is not solely the purview of unelected officials?
11. Do you not agree that this is a plan of budget cuts, a reduction of local democracy on a scale never seen in a modern European nation and a further centralisation of local government?

A response to Putting People First

	A response to Putting People First
	By Councillor Keith Martin

[Oct 2012]

1.      Ireland is the 2^nd most underrepresented country in the EU when it comes to local government.

2.      The ratio is 1 councillor per 118 per head of population per Councillor in France, 250 per head of population in Sweden and 350 in Germany. This rises to 610 in Spain and 1100 per head of population in Greece and Belgium.

3.      This plan proposes to make this situation worse by increasing the ratio from 1 councillor per 2,336 to 1 councillor per 4,800.

4.      According the McCarthy Report and the AMAI the total saving from abolishing 75 town councils and 700 councillors is just €6 million; that’s a saving of just €80k per council.

5.      This is a further centralisation of power into the hands of fewer councillors which was criticised in the 1991 Barrington report on local government reform.

6.      The average salary of a town councillor is €4,400 before tax.

7.      The total expenditure on councillors, salary, expenses, conferences, study trips, accounts for less than 1% of the total budget of a Town Council.

8.      Town councils are the lowest most effective level of local government, most responsive to the needs of their constituents.

9.      Repeated studies have shown that Town Councils are more efficient and effective than city or county councils.  Source: The Case for Town Local Government in Ireland in the 21st Century' by UCC.

10.  The abolition of Town Councils is directly contrary to the Principles of Local Agenda 21 and the EU principle of Subsidiarity as enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty.

11.  The report seeks to remove Town Councils, Borough Councils and City Councils which have existed separately for centuries in the interests of savings only, taking in no account the historical, economic, cultural, social and morale impact of such a move.  Meanwhile Dublin is to be left as 4 separate local authorities for no good reason.

12.  No effort has been made to differentiate between effective, efficient and successful councils and other less effective councils.

13.  No new powers have been conferred on councillors.

14.  The raising of new taxes such as the Property Tax is to be handed over to the Revenue Commissioners (Irish Times 23 October 2012).

15.  Town Councils are already accountable and transparent with regard to finances as a Budget is published every year detailing the council’s spending.  This budget is audited by the Local Government Auditor.  (Compare the budget of a Town Council and County Council to see which is the more transparent.)

16.  Town Councils are already accountable and transparent with regard to planning as they publish a Town Plan every 5 years which as a completely public process and which is overseen by the Dept of the Environment.

17.  Councillors are to be removed from the planning process even further by the removal of their powers under Section 140.  Section 140 is the provision whereby Councillors have the last say over the Executive and is an important piece of legislation which ensures that local government is not solely the purview of unelected officials. 

18.  Planning is to become the sole purview of unelected officials and opens up the possibility of a whole new era of corruption out of sight of the elected councillor.

19.  The new municipal councils are just enlarged Local Area Committees not true councils in their own right.

20.  The fact that the councillors sit on both municipal area council and City/County Council is proof that it is just a further centralisation of powers was criticised in the 1991 Barrington report on local government reform.

21.  The majority of the 75 councils to be abolished are outside the major cities and conurbations and as such they balance out the power and investment that goes into cities like Dublin, Cork, Limerick etc by providing a voice to their areas as well as acting as lobbying organisations with the state, semi state companies, service providers, councils, regional bodies and groups like the IDA and the Tourism Bodies.  The abolition of these councils will silence whole areas of rural Ireland.

22.  The loss of 75 Town Mayors is a huge loss of prestige and pride to local communities who like having someone to look to for Civic Leadership and to welcome VIPs and investors in their community.  It is an end to all Civic Honours currently hosted by these Mayors.   

23.  Town Managers and County Managers will still run the system although they will be called CEO’s councillors will not have the powers to hire or fire them as they do in all EU systems of local government. 

24.  Executive Functions will still exist allowing the CEO to act as he sees fit and with no democratic accountability.

25.  The proposed abolition of Town Councils is directly contrary to the pre election policies of both Fine Gael and The Labour Party which both committed them to strengthening and empowering local government.

26.  The proposed abolition of Town Councils is not a policy of the Programme for Government.

27.  The number of Regional Assemblies is to be cut from 10 to 3, another reduction of democratic representation.

28.  No direction election of representatives to the remaining regional assemblies compounds the democratic deficit and weakens the authority of such assemblies.

29.  No direct elections of Mayors for those councils which will still exist.

30.  In short this is not a plan of reform.  It is a plan of budget cuts, a reduction of local democracy on a scale never seen in a modern European nation and a further centralisation of local government.

Thanks from the Green Cross and President Mikhail Gorbachev

Subject: Thanks from the Green Cross and President Mikhail Gorbachev
To: councillorkeithmartin@gmail.com

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for taking the time to sign the petition supporting our efforts to make water an international right for all.

Sincerely,


Mikhail Gorbachev,
Chairman of the Board,
Green Cross International
www.greencrossinternational.net

Water petition

Westport Labour Councillor Keith Martin is urging people to support a
trade union campaign entitled "The Right2Water petition" to ensure
that water services throughout Europe remain in public ownership.

The trade union IMPACT is asking its members and their friends,
families and communities to sign an online petition, which aims to
gather 30,000 signatures in Ireland. The 'right to water' campaign
calls on the European Commission to recognise water as a human right,
exclude water and sanitation services from EU internal market rules,
and legislate to ensure water and sanitation assets remain in public
control even where private companies operate them.

The campaign has grown amid concerns that Irish water services could
be privatised in the future following the current restructuring
programme.

The petition is the first citizen's campaign of its kind under the
EU's European Citizen Initiative (ECI), a new legal tool introduced as
part of the Nice Treaty, which forces European institutions to
consider issues that win the necessary public support. The Right2Water
petition aims to attract a million petition signatures throughout the
EU and was launched in Ireland at the IMPACT Biennial Delegate
Conference in May.

According to the Cllr Keith Martin who is a member of the IMPACT trade
union "Water is a human right, not a commodity to be bought and sold.
We must ensure that efforts to conserve and improve water quality such
as the establishment of Irish Water do not become the gateway
organisations to privatisation. In Boliva there were riots over water
when the water supply was privatised and the price of water was pushed
up and up until the ordinary citizens rose up in protest. The West of
Ireland is blessed with one of the highest rainfalls in Europe and we
must protect this asset from both pollution and exploitation by
speculators."

The petition can be signed at http://www.watertreaty.org.

A video update on the plans to abolish your town council.

Labour Party Meeting

The Westport Branch of the Labour Party will be meeting on Tuesday
October 23rd in the Clock Tavern at 8pm sharp. The meeting will be
discussing the proposed abolition of Westport Town Council, signage on
the town's bridges, crime and policing, the upcoming children's'
referendum and a variety of other local and national issues. New
members welcome. Light refreshments will be served. More details on
086 0691182.

Campaign to keep our Town Councils

I have helped launch a facebook campaign to keep our Town Councils.
More details at facebook.com/keepourcouncils

It is time to fight back against this undemocratic proposal.

Of the €500 million in savings only €6 million is being achieved by
removing Town Councils (Source AMAI)

Ireland will have the lowest level of councillors per capita in the EU
(Source AMAI)

The removal of Town Councils which are mainly located in rural areas
is another attack on rural life and a further centralisation of Irish
politics and democracy.

118 per head of population per Councillor in France,
250 per head of population in Sweden and 350 in Germany.
This rises to 610 in Spain and 1100 per head of population in Greece
and Belgium.

Here in Ireland the figure is one Councillor to every 2,336 people.

Only the United Kingdom has a higher ratio with one Councillor to
every 2,603 per head of population.

Phil Hogan wants to increase that to 1 for every 4,800.

The big lie. 800 Town Councilllors are expensive.
The big truth. 800 Town Councillors cost the country 3million a year.

But what about the hundreds of millions of savings?
These are coming about through voluntary redundancies and cost saving
measures which could be done without abolishing every town council in
Ireland.

The big lie. We have too many councillors for such a small country.

The big truth. We have the lowest level of councillors in Europe
except for UK. In Sweden there;s a councillor for every 200 people. In
Ireland it's one for 3,500.

Submission to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on the future of the Post Office Network

Submission to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on
the future of the Post Office Network

In my experience as a local councillor Post Offices are vital to
village life. They are the social hub of the community where pensions
and dole are collected, bills paid, post sent, tv licences and other
charges are paid simply and locally.

In rural Ireland the post office provides an important service and
gathering point for communities. The reduction of these services would
be removing a focus point for the local community and resulting in
hundreds of job losses. In addition, this diminution of rural services
is contributing to social isolation and a disintegration of
communities as people no longer have the opportunity to meet people
and engage with their local communities.

Between 2001 and 2008 344 post offices closed, with many more
downgraded. The majority of closures took place in rural areas.
Closures and downgrading place a huge strain on local communities. The
Post Office increases footfall to other local businesses, so when one
post office closes in a rural area the knock-on effects are felt by
nearly all local businesses.

Mayo is the 3rd largest county in Ireland. The level of broadband and
computer access is very compared with urban and city areas. An an
increasingly ageing population relies on the post office for their
banking and community needs. There is also a poor public transport
network so the use of other area post offices is not possible or
desirable.

I would propose that rather than shutting more post offices that these
offices be upgraded to provide more banking services in conjugation
with local Credit Unions or bank.

Other European states have taken the approach that citizens must be
entitled to a postal service within a certain distance of their home
and it is time Ireland introduced such a measure.

Cllr Keith Martin B.A. (Hons)
Westport Town Council

Abolition of Town Councils

Dear Eamon,

I am a Town Councillor with 8 years service.  I am all in favour of local government reform and a return of powers to councillors.

I would be horrified to learn that the government would be planning on abolition Town Councils like Westport.  Especially after such a move is not a policy of Labour's nor is it included in the Programme for Government.

We are the foot soldiers of local government and the Labour party across the country.  We know our constituents by their first name, they're problems are our problems.

I would consider any move to abolish us as a betrayal of the highest order by both Government and party.

Sincerely

Keith Martin

Councillor

Westport Town Council

Chair 

Westport Branch Labour Party

"Horrible" signs on Westport's bridges to go

Labour's Cllr Keith Martin has welcomed the announcement by the National Roads Authority (NRA) that the white licence plate style signage recently erected on Westport's cut-stone bridges was erected in error and will be removed.

According to the NRA Westport's bridges were recently inspected by the NRA and the signs were erected as part of that process, however due to the aesthetic and heritage value of certain bridges the NRA have a policy of not erecting such signs in urban areas where such signage might not be appropriate to the area's aesthetics.  

The NRA have acknowledged that Westport's cut stone bridges, which are listed monuments, should not have been signposted and the body has promised to remove the controversial signage in the coming days. 

Welcoming the move Cllr Martin says "The sudden appearance of these horrible signs was a big issue in a heritage town such as Westport and they were raised with me on numerous occasions and at a recent Labour Party meeting.   Westport Town Council was immediately in touch with the NRA and they realised their error and have taken steps.  I look forward to the removal of the signs."

Westport Town Council to be abolished in 2014

My reaction to the news.

Signs to go

Labour's Cllr Keith Martin has welcomed the announcement by the National Roads Authority (NRA) that the white licence plate style signage recently erected on Westport's cut-stone bridges was erected in error and will be removed.

According to the NRA Westport's bridges were recently inspected by the NRA and the signs were erected as part of that process, however due to the aesthetic and heritage value of certain bridges the NRA have a policy of not erecting such signs in urban areas where such signage might not be appropriate to the area's aesthetics.  

The NRA have acknowledged that Westport's cut stone bridges, which are listed monuments, should not have been signposted and the body has promised to remove the controversial signage in the coming days. 

Welcoming the move Cllr Martin says "The sudden appearance of these horrible signs was a big issue in a heritage town such as Westport and they were raised with me on numerous occasions and at a recent Labour Party meeting.   Westport Town Council was immediately in touch with the NRA and they realised their error and have taken steps.  I look forward to the removal of the signs."

Westport Labour Party News

The September meeting of the Westport Branch of the Labour party took place last Wednesday (September 26th) took place in the Clock Tavern Bar.  The meeting was chaired by the Branch's incoming chairman, Cllr Keith Martin.

The meeting heard an update from David Fallon in relation to the appointment of Brian McDowell as national organiser and that Mr McDowell had expressed a desire to meet with the branch to discuss the upcoming local elections in 2014.  There was then a short discussion on the implications of property taxes and the state of the economy.

Cllr Keith Martin updated the branch on council business and his plans for the coming months. 

Branch Secretary Michael Everson updated the branch on his proposals for a simplified, logical and inexpensive national postcode system.  The meeting resolved to contact the Minister of Communications, Pat Rabbitte TD to request a formal meeting with him so that a presentation on the issue could be made to the Minister and his officials as soon as possible.  Cllr Martin was delegated to assist in arranging the meeting.

Sean Sammon questioned the use of plastic signage on the town's stone bridges, stating that they looked out of place.  The meeting resolved to query their status with the Town Council to see if it was permanent and if so, whether something more appropriate might be put in place.

John McDonnell gave a report on a public meeting he had recently attended in Kilmeena in relation to a series of break-ins in the area.  He called for the full force of the law to brought to bare on those criminals responsible.  He said a "zero-tolerance" approach should be adopted by the Gardai in relation to this type of crime.   

Cllr Keith Martin updated the meeting on the progress of the Policing Committee and on trial text alert systems which will assist in catching criminals by alerting community areas to suspicions persons, activities and vehicles operating in rural areas.  He added that the Superintendent had also announced a overall of the Neighbourhood Watch and Community Alert schemes which should also prove invaluable in deterring criminals.    John McDonnell called for rewards to be offered for information leading to the capture of criminals.

Cllr Martin updated the meeting about their upcoming Church Gate Collection and on a leafleting campaign for the Westport area, highlighting Labour's achievements in protecting low paid workers.  

Cllr Martin also noted that the Winter Fuel Allowance Scheme was now in effect and he was placing the forms on his website where they could be downloaded as needed by constituents.

The Branch also passed a motion of support for Roisin Shortall, following her resignation as Minster of State at the Dept of Health.

Correspondence from the Party Leader Eamon Gilmore, the General Secretary of the Labour Party, Senator Denis Landy, and Dominic Hannigan TD was read and noted by the members.   

Anyone interested in joining the Labour Party in Westport can call 086 0691182.

Roisin Shorthall motion of support

At their monthly meeting in the Clock Tavern, last night (Wednesday 26th) the Westport Labour Party passed a motion of support for Roisin Shorthall following her resignation as Junior Minister of Health.  

Proposing the motion Cllr Keith Martin said it was "regrettable that such an able and hard-working member of the Government felt the need to resign.  Minister Shorthall had been a driving force for reform and proper healthcare delivery and it was a sad day for the Government and the Labour Party that she felt the need to resign."

Seconding the motion John Tiernan said it was "important that lessons were learned from this regrettable resignation so that the Labour Party in government can concentrate on delivering in government and that Labour ministers felt they had the full support of their Labour colleagues and those in Fine Gael.

David Fallon spoke in support of Labour leader Eamon Gilmore and the Labour Party leadership saying that "coalition government was not an easy alliance but that both parties must work together to ensure that policies and personalities do not clash to the detriment of the citizen."

Seanad should go

I would challenge any reader to name any significant difference the Seanad makes to Irish life, in fact I would challenge any reader to name any piece of legislation the Seanad enacted or affected, better still name three current Senators?  I bet even remembering Mayo's long term senator is a challenge.

 

Can anyone answer the simple question of 'What does the Seanad do?'   We know what the Dail does, we know what our local councils do, but does anyone know what the Seanad does?

 

That's why I will canvass for the abolition of the Seanad when the promised referendum is called.

 

The Seanad, the upper house of the Oireachtas, is beyond reform and a drain on the nation's resources.

 

The Seanad is an undemocratic body which performs no specific function other than provide a resting home for failed or defeated Dail candidates.  A home for wanna-bes or had-beens.

 

Since 1937 ten separate official reports have been published on reform of the Seanad none of which have led to major reforms or even proposed reform which would make the Seanad  worth keeping.

 

Many democratic nations such as Sweden, New Zealand, Denmark and Portugal function perfectly without an upper house, in fact half the nations of the world only have one chamber.

 

Ireland is overly represented by national politicians with no increase in efficiency compared to other countries of similar size. The fact is that 55 of 76 countries worldwide with populations under 5 million have just one chamber. 

 

Constitutional theory has also evolved so that checks and balances no longer require a second house but strong committee systems.  A committee system which is already being strengthened by the current government.

 

Its university representation is a bizarre system which excludes too many people, likewise the panel system and Taoiseach's nominees mean that the chamber is stuffed with members of the "old boys network".

 

Out of six university senators, three are elected by Trinity graduates and UCD and the three other NUI institutions elect the remaining three.  The Institutes of Technologies don't get a look in. But why should any graduate have a vote while other citizens do not.  Then again, why should City and County Councillors elect Senators?  What kind of elitism is that in a modern republic?

 

This practice dates back to hundreds of years, as before independence Trinity contributed MPs to Britain's House of Commons. During the Free State Trinity elected TDs, before the modern Seanad Eireann was eventually formed in 1937.

 

So really the Seanad is a hangover from our pre-independence days, a relic like the House of Lords but with all the power of a day time chat show that no-one watches.

 

If the Seanad is popularly elected then it merely duplicates the Dail, and if it is elected through different means then there is a democratic deficit. Therefore it does not act as an effective check on the Dail.

 

The Seanad is costing the taxpayers €25 million a year to run.  Can anyone say it's worth the money?

 

I can't and that is why I will be asking you to vote to abolish the Seanad.

Welcome for new era in broadband for Mayo

Cllr Keith Martin has welcomed the plan from the Communications Minister, Mr Pat Rabbitte, T.D., to deliver faster broadband for the whole Country as part of National broadband plan for Ireland.

According to Cllr Martin "The investment in a faster and better broadband infrastructure and service for Ireland is great news for both the public and business people in Mayo. Ireland can no longer afford to fall behind the high broadband speeds being offered by other European Countries.

"This plan will not just focus on urban areas but also all rural parts of the Country. We are living in the digital age and so it is paramount that every online user in Mayo has access to high speed broadband. This plan guarantees rural dwellers minimum speeds of 20 to 40 Mps within 3 years. This is a huge increase on the 1 to 3 Mps currently available in rural areas in Mayo.

This plan will facilitate the provision of high speed broadband to every home and business in the State over the lifetime of the Government. The plan is focused on ensuring internet speeds for Irish consumers that are much faster than those currently available.

The Plan outlines measures to facilitate the delivery of broadband speeds of between 70 and 100 megabits per second (Mbps) on a commercial basis, to approximately 50% of the population. The Plan also announces the Government's intention to develop an intervention to deliver minimum speeds of between 30 and 40 Mbps to the other 50% of the population which would not be achieved on a commercial basis, thus ensuring that minimum levels of high speed broadband services are accessible to all. Implementation of this plan will see Ireland doing more than meeting the targets set down by the European Commission in the "Digital Plan for Europe".

Councillor still getting paid a year after move to Australia

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to let you know how disappointed I am at your actions and to share my sense of disbelief and disgust at your actions in providing a salary to a councillor who has not lived in this country for a year.

You are letting the entire local government system down and collectively you are an embarrassment to all political parties and public representatives across the country.

Your actions are a disservice to local government and democracy.

Do the right thing and end this farce.

Sincerely

Keith Martin

Councillor

Westport Town Council

Westport Radio courses

Westport Radio, in conjunction with Mayo VEC, is hosting a series of classes for people interested in developing their media skills or a career in local media.

Westport Radio are inviting persons interested in completing a Radio Presenters or Production course or a Writing Press Releases course to register their interest by contacting the station on 098 24000, by emailing info@wrfm.ie or by calling into the studios on James Street.

The courses will take place in Westport over the coming month.  Places are limited so early booking is advised.  There is no charge for either course.  

http://www.theredcard.ie/camp.php

Show Racism the Red Card Ireland hosted the first international conference of likeminded projects from across Europe to meet in Dublin from 16th – 20th April.


Our intercultural camps are heaps of fun and packed with adventure and learning. Following success of our previous Intercultural Summer Camps, we are now planning towards our 2012 Intercultural Summer Camps.

Tsunami drill for Mayo

Following the magnitude 4.0 earthquake of the Mayo coast and given the
number of the low-lying settlements along the Mayo coast a Westport
Councillor has called on Mayo County Council to run an emergency drill
to prepare in case Mayo is ever subject to a Tsunami strike.
Cllr Keith Martin has written to Mayo County Council to request that
an emergency drill be carried out to prepare the county's emergency
services for such an event.
According to Cllr Martin there is a precedent for such a disaster as
the Westport Historical Society's Journal Cathair Na Mart records a
large wave hitting Westport Quay in November 1909. The wave caused
damage as it hit the Quay breaking the Quay wall and leaving large
pieces of it strewn over the road to Rossbeg. The wave sent a wall of
water four feet high up as far as the old railway station, which is
now the Quay school.
Cllr Martin says the events are described in the article "Tidal wave
at Westport Quay" which details the memories of Michael J Lyons who
was fifteen at the time. According to the report "Tons of timber were
strewn about. Boats lay in the road."
Cllr Martin says "Experts now believe the wave was the result of the
tectonic plates shifting far out in the Atlantic and this sent a
mini-tsunami wave racing ashore at Westport. Fortunately the damage
was minor but it should serve as a warning to prepare. The odds of a
Tsunami hitting Westport or Mayo again must be millions to one but we
should be prepared just as we would for an airplane or train crash or
other such unlikely disasters. Mayo County Council runs drills like
the one this summer at Knock Airport whereby a plane crash is
simulated. This tests the preparedness of the emergency services to
cope with unlikely large-scale disasters."
Cllr Martin adds "We only have to look as the disasters in the Pacific
or the recent flooding in New Orleans to know how deadly water can be
and we should not be complacent about such events. Towns like Westport
and Newport are only feet above the sea level at their Quays and we
should be prepared."

Tsunami Drill

Dear Mr County Secretary

I am writing to you to repeat my request of 2006 that Mayo County
Council prepare an emergency response drill and reaction plan in the
event of a Tsunami or Tidal wave impacting on any or all of Mayo's
seaside towns and villages.

Thank you

Keith Martin
Councillor
Westport

HSE INVITE REPEATED

HSE INVITE REPEATED

 

The HSE have been invited to come before Westport Town Council and discuss the current and future provision of health services within the town, including the future development of the MacBride nursing home according to Cllr Keith Martin.

"In September of 2011 I proposed a motion that representatives of the HSE come before Westport Town Council and update us as to the recruitment of a new Director of Nursing for the MacBride Home and on developments such as the transfer of Westport's two Community Welfare Officers to the Department of Social Protection, the retirement of so many community and psychiatric nurses and how these events will impact on health services in Westport. 

"While we have received written updates in relation to the recruitment of the new Director of Nursing the HSE have not yet accepted our invitation.

"At the January meeting of Westport Town Council I repeated the motion, which was supported unanimously, and the Town Clerk has written to the HSE again asking them to appear before us and update us on the HSE's plans for Westport.

"I expect that such a discussion will take place in March or April and that it will be an informative meeting, which will go a long way to reassuring the people of Westport in relation to the security of their local health services.

Post Office payments

Dear Minister Hogan,

I am writing to you to request that you put in place a system which would allow the public, particularly senior citizens, to pay their household charge in the Post Office.

Numerous constituents who want to pay the charge have been in contact with me due to their frustration with the options currently available for paying the €100 charge. They know the charge is required to fund local services, and they want to be able to pay it in their local post office where many access other public services.

Sincerely

Keith Martin

Councillor

Westport Town Council

Call for Post office payments for new charge

Labour's Cllr Keith Martin says the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan should take action to make the payment of the household charge less hassle and more convenient, particularly for older people.

"The public need to be provided with a more accessible method of paying the household charge and the local post office is the ideal venue. Numerous constituents who want to pay the charge have been in contact with me due to their frustration with the options currently available for paying the €100 charge. They know the charge is required to fund local services, and they want to be able to pay it in their local post office where many access other public services.

"There are too many people who are seeking to pay the Household Charge before the deadline, but who are unable to pay online or do not have the ability to get to their council offices. I have written to Minister Hogan asking him to consider giving people more options for how they can pay their household charge before the deadline is up.

"I can see no reason why the country's network of Post Offices cannot be used to give people more opportunities to pay the household charge. I hope the Minister can move swiftly to give people more opportunities to pay the Household Charge.

"It is one of the basics of all public charges that the State should make it as easy as possible for the citizen to pay the charge. I would hope that Minister Hogan would bear this in mind and allow people to pay the charge through their local Post Office."

Community groups to be spared from big admin bills

New legislation will lift the burden of large auditing and administration bills from the community and voluntary sector, Labour's Cllr Keith Martin has learned.

The Labour councillor has been told that the Dept of Jobs and Innovation is planning to greatly reduce the paperwork legally required by voluntary groups under the new Companies Bill. The Dept intends to exempt charitable organisations from the stringent audit requirements imposed on private companies.

According to Cllr Martin "This is good news for those people who run our sports clubs, help our youth, care for the vulnerable and generally make our communities better places to live, shouldn't be unnecessarily burdened with high cost legal and financial requirements. They need every cent they have for the valuable work they do."

The new Companies Bill, which is expected later this year, will introduce a new type of default private company to cover the charity and voluntary sector, known as a CLS or private company limited by shares.

Cllr Martin says the changes will provide "a number of tangible benefits aimed at reducing the administrative burden on our voluntary groups. The lengthy and complex legal documents needed to set up other companies will no longer be required. These new CLS companies can be incorporated using a single document possibly a page long,"

"In short it will be a great deal easier and less expensive for the voluntary sector to start, use and run such a company. It is a move that will benefit not just community groups but society as a whole,"

 

Smarter Travel must link Westport

According to Cllr Keith Martin the recently announced €5 million
investment to transform Westport into a Smarter Travel Area, promoting
cycling and walking, public transport, and reducing car travel must
include plans to link areas like Sandyhill, the Ballinrobe road,
Carrabawn and the Leanne road to Westport town centre with new
Greenways.

The Labour Party councillor says such Greenways would "significantly
reduce the numbers of cars using the town by giving these areas
improved cycling ways, including safe routes to school and to key
business and workplace zones which would allow people to walk and
cycle, in safety, to the town."

"Currently areas like the Ballinrobe road, Sandyhill and the Leanne
road are virtually impossible to walk or cycle on because of the
volume and speed of the traffic, dangerous bends and impassible
railway bridges. If Westport Town Council provides the Greenways then
we will see a huge uptake in walking and cycling as we have already
witnessed in those areas now being served by the Greenway."

Sky high prices means planes are cheaper than trains

Cllr Keith Martin says that Irish Rail should reverse its decision to increase fares on the Westport to Dublin route.  Cllr Martin says the fares increases are disincentive to rail travel and will impact on visitor numbers to the town this year.

According to the Westport based Labour councillor "Rail fares are already too expensive, at €37 one way to Dublin one could fly to London or Rome with Ryanair for the same price.  It is time we see rail prices cut and subsidised from carbon taxes.  At the moment these funds go into the government's coffers when they should be used to promote sustainable transport such as train travel.

"It is far too expensive to travel by train in this country.  On mainland europe rail travel is a cheap way to travel.  Here in Ireland it is still charged at luxury prices.  It is time that we had cheap train travel especially on intercity routes such as the Westport to Dublin line which are vital to our local and national tourism and business economy.  

"Irish Rail have finally given us the extra services and new trains that we, as a community, have lobbied for.  Now they go and ruin it by gouging rail users for more money during a recession. 

"This increase is a mistake and should be reversed.  I would urge consumers, businesses, councils and chambers of commerce to make their feelings known to Irish Rail.  Train travel should be cheaper than air travel.  Irish Rail need to rethink their business model along the lines of Ryanair and not the Orient Express."



 

Fairtrade Meeting

Westport Fairtrade committee will be hosting a public meeting next
Wednesday at 8pm in the Wyatt Hotel.   The meeting will be chaired by
Cllr Keith Martin and is open to existing members and members of the
public who wish to learn more or volunteer to support the organisation
or join the committee.

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local
sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the
developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices
(which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade
addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally
discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them
to improve their position and have more control over their lives

Fairtrade Ireland awards a consumer label, the FAIRTRADE Mark, to
products which meet internationally recognised standards of Fairtrade.
Supported by ActionAid Ireland, Amnesty International (Irish Section),
Christian Aid, Comhlámh, Concern, Friends of the Earth, Irish Aid,
Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Oxfam Ireland and Trócaire.

Westport's Fairtrade Steering Committee was established in early 2005
with the aim of making achieving Fairtrade status for the town. The
committee members were Edel Hackett, Mary Walsh, Roisin Moran, Sue
Minish, Brian Quinn, Cllr Keith Martin, Gemma Hennesy, Sheila
O'Donnell and Bríd McAuley.    Westport became a Fairtrade town in
2006 and the committee have continued to lobby for the wider
availability of Fairtrade products in the town.

For more information please contact 086 0691182.

Mayo Labour Party meeting

The Mayo Labour Party will be meeting on Thursday at 8pm in the Wyatt
Hotel in Westport.

The party will be electing its Constituency Council and discussing the
building of membership in the county.

There will be reports from Cllrs Harry Barrett and Keith Martin of
Castlebar and Westport Town Councils.  The meeting will also be
addressed by Dr Jerry Cowley.

All existing and new members are welcome to come along.  Membership
forms will be available on the night.

For more information call 086 0691182

Invitation to connect on LinkedIn

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Residents of 62 estates eligible for waiver of household charge says Labour Councillor

Homeowners in over 60 unfinished housing estates throughout Mayo will be eligible for a waiver of the €100 household charge according to Westport based Labour councillor, Keith Martin.

According to Cllr Martin the new legislation "provides that an owner of residential property which is situated in an unfinished estate is entitled to a waiver from payment of the Household Charge in respect of that property for that year." 

The wavier only applies to estates where the developer is still in place but is effectively inactive, or where the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents. 

A national survey of unfinished housing developments was carried out in 2011 by officials from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, in conjunction with the Planning Departments of the various local authorities. As part of this survey, all unfinished developments were examined and categorised along the following lines:

Category 1: the development is still being actively completed by the developer; 
Category 2: a receiver has been appointed; 
Category 3: a receiver has not been appointed and the developer is still in place but effectively inactive;  and 
Category 4: the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents. 

An owner of a residential property in an unfinished development contained in the prescribed list is entitled to a waiver from payment of the household charge in 2012. This prescribed list consists only of developments under Categories 3 and 4.

According to the Westport based Cllr Martin "A list of such estates has been published by the Dept of the Environment which has identified 62 such estates in Mayo.

This new charge, of EUR 100 per year in 2012, is unfortunately a condition of the EU/IMF bailout that was necessitated by the disastrous economic mismanagement of the previous FF/Green Government.

The charge will fund essential local services such as libraries, road cleaning, public lighting and so on that councils such as Westport Town Council and Mayo County Council provide to all citizens. 

The charge has been carefully framed so as to make owners liable rather than occupiers.  Social housing and houses of the elderly who are living in nursing homes etc are included in the exemptions.  Those in receipt of mortgage interest supplement and in these particular unfinished estates are also exempt."

 
Westport
Cedar Park,
Cluain Abhain
Sli Na Misean

Castlebar
Carrabeg
Heather Vale
College Woods
Sean Abhain
The Waterway

Ballina
Belleek Manor
Church Manor
Friars Court
Glen Ri
Lansyn
Quignalecka
Quignalecka Apartment
Un-named estate  Church Road

A full list of the qualifying unfinished estates is available at www.householdcharge.ie

https://www.householdcharge.ie/UHE/Mayo.pdf