Here's the link to my book project on HMS Mashona, the ship, officers and crew.

If you can help please get in touch!

http://hmsmashona.blogspot.ie/

Former Labour Town Councillor, Keith Martin, has told the Mayo News that he feels "vindicated" by the U-Turn of Ministers Brendan Howlin and Alan Kelly in relation to the abolition of Town Councils.

In May of last year the 80 town councils, including Westport, Castlebar and Ballina, were replaced by 137 municipal districts, with the membership and configuration determined at council level. The independent financial revenue-raising powers of town councils were lost and district councils are instead handed down annual financial allocations, irrespective of the amounts of money raised in each district.

Speaking about the abolition of the town councils at the recent Labour Party Conference Minister Howlin told delegates “If you ask me what is the one thing I regret most about the last four years it was that decision and I personally say I took my eye off the ball."

Mr Hogan’s successor in the Department of the Environment, Minister Alan Kelly, also indicated at the party’s weekend conference that he is unhappy with the changes telling a policy seminar that he was working on measures to rectify the situation.

Mr Martin was a vocal opponent of the abolitions, both within the Labour Party and the Council chamber, and was part of a special cross-party delegation from Westport Town Council to Strasbourg to the 25th Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to lobby for the retention of town councils.

"I feel totally vindicated that the Labour Party has finally realised what a terrible decision the abolition of our entire municipal system of government has been.  At the time I lobbied all Labour TDs to turn back from abolition.  I was not listened to at the time.  I only regret that the change of heart by the Ministers comes a year too late.  Westport has lost its council, its monthly meetings, its €5m annual budget, its bank savings of €3m, its Mayor, and we have lost the right to raise our own rates and taxes.  The town has also lost its right to grant planning permission, zone lands and we have also lost the housing section and our dedicated Town Engineer."

Mr Martin says it is up ordinary voters and the likes of the Chamber of Commerce and organisations such as the Tidy Towns to lobby Ministers and TDs to get back their town councils adding " I would urge everyone in Westport, Castlebar and Ballina to join the fight to get back our local councils. It is now or never!"

After a decade of service on Westport Town Council I have decided that I will not be a candidate in the upcoming local elections.



This is due to the abolition of Westport Town Council by the government, a decision that I have opposed since it was first mooted and a decision which I have fought in our council chamber in Westport and have brought my argument to the Oireachtas and even the Council of Europe.



I believe that Westport owes much of its success as a centre for tourism, recreation, retail and heritage to Westport Town Council's role as a development agency over the last couple of decades and I believe it will be a disaster when the town is stripped of its council.



The new electoral area, the West Mayo Municipal Council, will be a 'talking shop' without the power to strike a rate or set a budget, it will not have planning powers, or zoning powers or even staff of its own.  Instead it will function like a glorified local area committee of Mayo County Council, begging and borrowing what resources it can.



All decisions concerning Westport Town, including how much of the ratepayers money is reinvested in Westport will be made in Castlebar by 30 members of Mayo County Council of which only 2 or 3 will be from the Westport area.  It's very easy to envisage Westport money being spent everywhere but in Westport.



Worse again is that this "Municipal Council" will cover an area three times the size of County Louth with just 7 councillors meaning that "local" government will no longer be local.



Westport without a town council will be down graded.  We have already seen our Tourist Office re-sized, we have lost our courthouse, we are losing our Joint Policing Committee, our Mayor and our financial independence.  Westport is looking at the reversal of 50 years of incredible progress, all because the loss of it's council.



As a member of the Labour Party for 8 years I made it very clear from the start that if the government proceeded with the abolition of town councils that I would not allow my name to go forward.  It is a decision I stand by and that I proud of, and it is for that reason that I will not allow my name for go forward in 2014.



I will serve out the remainder of my term as a loyal member of the Labour Party.



I am very proud of my service on Westport Town Council.  I have served in some of the most challenging years dealing with the different challenges presented by boom and recession.



I am delighted to have been involved in investing council money in social capital projects and to see how such council investment has paid off in areas like the Newport Road.  One only has to look at the replanting of the Northwoods and the Northern Greenway to see how such projects benefit the local residents.



I am very proud of the council's work on the Golf Course Road.  In the 10 years I have spent on the council the Golf Course Road has been transformed.  Today it has a park, playground, football pitch, greenway, traffic and speed controls, and a world class primary school.



Its council  built and funded Community Building provides playschools, after schools, homework clubs, foroige club, residents meeting rooms, evening classes and family fun days.



Westport Town Council has also invested €100,000 in the new soccer club grounds on the Golf Course Road to ensure the people of the town have access to the playing fields.



On a wider picture I am proud that Westport became the first town in Ireland to establish a film promotion policy which encourages and works with film makers to film in the area, a policy which generates jobs and publicity for the town.  I have always lobbied for Mayo to have its own film promotion unit and I hope to see developments there before I leave the council in June.  In that capacity I have worked for 10 years a volunteer with the Irish FIlm Board promoting Mayo and working with filmmakers.



Westport Town Council is also investing €500,000 in a state of the art Town Hall and theatre and has finished completion of the Quay Community Building, an issue I first campaigned for in 2004.



I am grateful to have been a member of the Multi Agency Group which lobbies and plans for Westport's infrastructure to create jobs and secure our tourism industry.  That committee has overseen fibre optic broadband and upgraded electricity supply come to Westport while it continues to lobby for improved road connections and IDA investment in our technology park.



I am also proud of the town's successes under the Tidy Towns competitions and I have always played my part taking part in the Good Friday clean ups and on the regular rota for the tidy ups and I would encourage others to do like wise.



One of the biggest challenges as a local councillor has been my role in establishing Westport Radio, the town's community radio service.  I am proud to be a founding member and current chairman of the station.



Westport Town Council played a huge role by investing social capital in the station and we are starting to see the pay back on such investment as the station prepares to become a full time station.



I have enjoyed working with people and helping them on so many issues. In the course of my role on the council I have fought many battles on many issues but I always separated the issue from the individual. I have always tried my best and if my best has fallen short of what people expected or if I have let people down or disappointed them then I am sorry.



I am grateful to my family and friends who have always supported me, to the members and supporters of the Westport Branch who always believed in me; especially the late Michael Joe Lavelle.



I am grateful to the council management and staff for their professionalism and hard work and I thank the councillors I served alongside in my 10 years for their help.



In conclusion I would like to thank the people of Westport.  It has been an honour to serve.

Fwd: Press Release Tsunami preparations

STORM WARNING 

Westport Councillor Keith Martin is repeating his call on Mayo County Council to run an emergency drill as a preparation for a Tsunami hitting the Mayo Coast.

Cllr Martin made his original call in June of 2012 following a magnitude 4.0 earthquake off the Mayo coast.

Cllr Martin says "Given the recent flooding and damage to property by the recent storms and considering the large number of the low-lying settlements along the Mayo coast I am, again, calling 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 regulary runs drills to practise for unlikely disasters such as train de-reailments and plane crashes. 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 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.”

Post by Cllr Keith Martin.

Financial clout of Mayo's three town councils far outweighs county council

TUESDAY, 15 OCTOBER 2013 10:42

THE three town councils in Mayo which are scheduled to be axed next May have a total of €16.17 million on deposit, according to the latest local government audited information available.

Yet Mayo County Council, which is being retained in Environment Minister Phil Hogan’s shake-up, has just €172,643 in reserve.

Minister Hogan presented the figures in Dáil Éireann on foot of a parliamentary question. But it clearly undermines his decision to scrap town councils as a cash-saving measure.

While the €16.17 million is expected to be transferred to the coffers of Mayo County Council following the 2014 local elections, there is no guarantee the money will be retained for provision of local services.

The deposits held by the four local authorities in Mayo comprising of cash balances and short-term bank investments are as follows: Castlebar Town Council (€7,566,048), Westport Town Council (€4,970,930), Ballina Town Council (€3,646,517) and Mayo County Council (€172,643).

It is clear there was no justification for abolishing town councils in the county for financial reasons.

The figures are a cause for concern for Mayo County Council at a time when it is deep in debt.

About Keith

I was elected to Westport Town Council in 2004 as an Independent candidate.  I ran on several local issues of concern to the residents of my area and on some larger, town-wide issues.  I joined the Labour Party two years later because I realised my goals were in line with Labour’s.

As part of my council work I attend one monthly meeting of the council, an annual budget meeting and many committee meetings in relation to council sub committees and events.

In addition to this I serve on many local committees and groups such as Westport Community Radio which I helped to found three years ago.  I used my experience and position to make the case for funding and to date I have sourced €60,000 in funds for the station.

In addition to this kind of work I have also helped to develop my locality.  When I was elected in 2003 my area of the Golf Course Road had no social facilities.  Today it has a greenway, a park, football pitch, playground , walkway and a primary school.  It also has a community building providing many classes and supports for children such as a crèche and homework club.

On a wider scale I have used my position as a councillor to work with the Irish Film Board in promoting Westport and Mayo as a venue for film making both small and feature film productions and I soon hope to establish a county wide film board for Mayo.

Shortly after my re-election in 2009 I was unable to complete paperwork relating to campaign spending due to a serious illness and when I missed the deadline I was automatically barred from taking my seat for 5 years.

The only remedy was to go the Circuit Court where the Court ruled that the bar should be lifted due to my illness and I retook my seat on Westport Town Council.  I am the only person in the country to have had this bar overturned.

Currently I am campaigning against the abolition of Town Councils.

Westport Tourist office. No decision yet.

Cllr Keith Martin has called on the OPW and Failte Ireland to meet with Westport Town Council to discuss the future of Westport's Tourist Office.

Cllr Martin made his call at Thursday night's meeting of Westport Town Council.  Cllr Martin has learned that Failte Ireland has not yet made a decision on the OPW's request to surrender their long term lease on the Georgian building which is owned by the OPW.

Cllr Martin has already written to Failte Ireland echoing Sean Staunton's call for Failte Ireland not to surrender the lease citing what Cllr Martin calls as "huge local opposition and concern" over the plan to relocate the operations of Westport Labour Exchange currently on Prospect Avenue off John's Row, to the present location of the town's tourist office on James Street.

Cllr Martin continued "This is bad news for Westport.  Our town is a tourism town, tourism is the life blood of this town and the Tourist Office on James Street is the beating heart of our tourism industry."

Responding for Paul Hayden, Head of Visitor Engagement, Failte Ireland says that "on-going discussions are taking place between OPW and Fáilte Ireland on this matter. No decision has been taken as yet."

Cllr Martin has also called on Minister Michael Ring to intervene to stop the proposed relocation of the tourist office. 

"Westport Town Council, Westport Chamber of Commerce, Failte Ireland predecessors and others lobbied for years for our town to get a full time full sized tourist office and now the OPW is proposing to take that away from us in the year of the Gathering. 

Westport Tourist Office is a monument and symbol of our thriving tourism industry, the OPW want to turn it into a monument of the recession."

Cllr Martin has also been in touch with Minister Leo Varadkar and Junior Minister Alan Kelly.

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Hayden <Paul.Hayden@failteireland.ie>	09:23 (3 hours ago)
to me

Dear Councillor Martin,

 

I refer to your email of the 2^nd September 2013 to Fáilte Ireland's communication division, regarding Westport Tourist Office.

 

I wish to advise you that on-going discussions are taking place between OPW and Fáilte Ireland on this matter. No decision has been taken as yet.

 

Kind regards

 

 

Paul Hayden
Head of Visitor Engagement | Fáilte Ireland | Áras Fáilte |  88 - 95 Amiens St | Dublin 1
T: +353 (01) 884 7790 | M: 086 162 5290

W: www.failteireland.ie

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Minister,


I am writing to you to seek your support in the matter of the OPW plan to move Westport's Tourist Officefrom it's Georgian Period building on James Street to a former shop unit on Bridge Street.

There is huge local opposition and concern over the plan to relocate the operations of Westport Labour Exchange currently on Prospect Avenue off John's Row, to the present location of the town's touristoffice on James Street.

This is bad news for Westport.  Our town is a tourism town, tourism is the life blood of this town and theTourist Office on James Street is the beating heart of our tourism industry.

Westport Town Council, Westport Chamber of Commerce, Failte Ireland predecessors and others lobbied for years for our town to get a full time full sized tourist office and now the OPW is proposing to take that away from us in the year of the Gathering. 

It's crazy to move the Tourist Office from it's iconic position of more than a decade simply to facilitate the dole office. The Dole office site on Prospect Avenue should be redeveloped.  There is ample room for expansion and a second storey there.

I would ask you to explain to the OPW why their plan is unsuitable for Westport.


Sincerely

Keith Martin

 

Fwd: Ring must "Quash" Tourist Office move

Councillor Keith Martin of Westport Town Council has called on Minister Michael Ring to "quash" the proposed removal of Westport's Tourist Office from it's home on Bridge Street.

Cllr Martin has labelled as "crazy" the plan to relocate the operations of Westport Labour Exchange currently on Prospect Avenue off John's Row, to the present location of the town's tourist office on James Street.

"This is bad news for Westport.  Our town is a tourism town, tourism is the life blood of this town and the Tourist Office on James Street is the beating heart of our tourism industry."

"Westport Town Council, Westport Chamber of Commerce, Failte Ireland predecessors and others lobbied for years for our town to get a full time full sized tourist office and now the OPW is proposing to rob us of that in the year of the Gathering.  You have to wonder about the sanity of some of those responsible for this move.  

"It's crazy to move the Tourist Office from it's iconic position of more than a decade simply to facilitate the dole office. The Dole office site on Prospect Avenue should be redeveloped.  There is ample room for expansion and a second storey there.

"I am astonished that this can be mooted in the constituency home town of the Minister for Tourism Deputy Michael Ring and I am calling on him now to quash this move.   Minister Ring needs to protect our tourism industry by protecting our tourism office.  I hope he will be speaking to the OPW immediately.

"For my part I will be raising this issue for discussion at the next meeting of Westport Town Council and will be proposing that the OPW come and meet us to discuss alternatives to this crazy, short sighted and retrograde step.  I will ask our officials to examine alternatives to losing our tourist office.  I am calling on all interested parties and individuals to oppose this proposal and to make their feelings clear to those responsible.  I will be writing to the Westport Chamber of Commerce and the tourism bodies to seek their support for a campaign to stop this attack on our tourism industry.  We must unite as a town to oppose this."

 

Labouring for nomination

With Michael McLaughlin expected to take the chain at next week's last ever AGM of Westport Town Council, Labour's Keith Martin has thrown his hat in the ring for the position of Leas-Cathaoirleach of the council.

Of the 9 sitting councillors Cllr Martin is the only member of the current council who has never served as Cathaoirleach of the council and with the planned abolition of the council it seems he never will. 

Fine Gael, with five seats, have control of the Chain and have kept it within the party and are expected to continue this with the election of Cllr McLaughlin.

Cllr Martin has written to his colleagues requesting their support but he may be locked out of the position by Fine Gael after the outgoing Cathaoirleach, Cllr Ollie Gannon, announced at last year's AGM that Fine Gael would not be looking outside the party for a Leas Cathaoirleach given the "quality of candidates" within Fine Gael on the town council.

Despite this Cllr Martin is looking to his colleagues in Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Independent Martin Keane to support his nomination for the chair so that he can serve out the 10^th year of his term on the council as its last ever Leas Cathoirleach.

According to Cllr Martin "It will always be a disappointment to me that after 10 years on Westport Town Council that I never got to serve as Cathaoirleach.  It is my hope that I can serve out what could be the last term of the council as its Leas Cathaoirleach.  Westport Town Council is famous for leaving politics outside the council chamber.  It is in that spirit and in recognition of my ten years service on the council that I hope my nomination will be supported by all councillors."

Fibre Optic rollout welcomed

Cllr Keith Martin of the Westport Multi Agency Task Force which  was set up in the wake of job losses in Westport to lobby for infrastructure and jobs has warmly welcomed the roll out of fibre optic Broadband in Ballina, Castlebar and Westport.  

"I warmly welcome Eircom's confirmation of the launch its high speed fibre broadband network in Ballina, Castlebar and Westport on May 20th. 

Cllr Martin explains that "more than 15,500 homes and small businesses in the three areas will be connected to the new fibre broadband network, which will support high speed broadband of up to 70Mb per second."

Herb Hribar, CEO eircom Group, said "We are delighted that approximately 15,600 homes and small businesses in Ballina, Castlebar and Westport will be amongst the first nationally to enjoy high speed broadband when the fibre network goes live on May 20th. Over the past year eircom technical crews have installed 69 new cabinets and several miles of fibre cabling right across the three areas as part of our multi million euro investment in the towns."

The new fibre broadband network will mean a significant rise in available broadband speeds for premises within the fibre footprint and further increases in speed are planned.

"While broadband speeds at launch will reach up to 70Mb per second, we expect this to rise to 100 Mb per second within twelve months through further technical enhancement, transforming the broadband experience for homes and businesses in the Ballina, Castlebar and Westport areas", continued Hribar.

Cllr Martin says Eircom have confirmed to him that other Mayo towns including Ballinrobe and Claremorris have been included in subsequent phases of eircom's fibre rollout.

"This is great news for Mayo.  It means our businesses can compete on a level playing field with those in the cities and the availability of fibre cable means we can attract new businesses to towns like Westport.  I look forward of the continued roll out of such high speed broadband across the county" concluded the Labour councillor. 

My Letter to the Labour Party TDs and Senators

Dear Party Colleague,

I write to you to ask for your assistance in opposing the abolition of town councils.

The Minster has repeatedly stated "That there are too many councils and councillors" for a country the size of Ireland.

The fact of the matter is that 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.

In fact only the UK has a lower ratio of councillors to citizens than Ireland. 

The reform proposes to make this situation worse by increasing the ratio from 1 councillor per 2,336 to 1 councillor per 4,800.  Making us the most under-represented country in the European Union.

The AMAI and An Bord Snip Nua estimate the total saving from abolishing 75 town councils and 700 councillors is just €6 million; that's a saving of just €80k per council. 

To put that in perspective, Westport Town Council's annual budget is €5.2 million per year and our Capital account is just under €5m.

The Minister's repeated claims of savings of hundreds of millions are actually derived from cost savings of shared equipment and manpower and the redundancies of 500 Public servants.

The Minister says he is abolishing 80 councils but the truth is he is actually creating more councils than ever before.  Mayo goes from 4 local authorities to 5.

In 2011 "The Case for Town Local Government in Ireland in the 21st Century", was carried out by researchers at University College Cork.  That study found that town and borough councils are significantly less reliant on central government funding compared to city and county councils, yet are regularly targeted for exchequer cutbacks. 

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.

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

Under the reforms there's no guarantee that the Westport Town Budget of €5.2m will be spent in the area in future and it seems likely that our Capital account of €5m will be used to offset Mayo County Council's €50m debt.

Westport Town Council budget is currently made up of just 15% funding from Central Government.  This will be replaced with the new property tax which will mean that Westport Town Council will be completely independent of Central Government funding.

Westport Town Council has, historically always presented an annual surplus in our budgets and has built up a Capital Reserve of €5m.

The cost of the 9 Councillors of Westport Town Council, salaries, expenses, conferences, overseas visits, hospitality comes to less than .75 of a percent. 

One County Councillor chairing an SPC and taking full advantage of their conference allowance costs more.

The abolition of Westport Town Council will serve no purpose, save no money and will not put people first.  The abolition of an entire tier of local government is unheard of in modern European history.

In relation to the Minister's claims that the new Municipal Councils will be real councils in their own right why does he not count them as local authorities?  He has repeatedly stated he is cutting the number of local authorities when in fact he is going to be creating even more councils.

Surely if these Municipal Councils are to be councils in their own right then they should have separate elections? The issues facing the Westport area are different to those facing Mayo County Council.  Yet there is a Dual Mandate.  These new councils will not even have the power to set a rate.

The truth of the matter is that our party went into government pledging to empower town councils and to create new town councils.  

According to our 2009 Local Government Manifesto "Local Authorities (including County, Town, and District Councils) would retain their existing functions, with other appropriate functions to be devolved over time".

According to our Local Government policy, New Councils, "There should be two levels of Local Government: Regional Authorities, which would include City Authorities for the larger cities, and Local Authorities, which would include County, Town and District Councils".

That same policy also proposed that " The distinction between County Councils and the larger Town Councils should be ended. All such councils should have the same status. There would be options available to people as to the type of Council which would exist in a particular area, as between County Councils, Town Councils and District Councils. Where a dispute arises over the inclusion of an area in a council, the issue could be resolved by plebiscite of the voters in that area."

Instead there has been no debate save for a very brief call for public submission.  There has been no debate within the Labour Party and as a serving Town Councillor my opinions were not sought nor was I informed of the abolition of my council until it was announced.   

There are tough decisions to be made, but we must be sure that we are making them for the right reason.  The abolition of Town Councils cannot be undone or corrected at a later date.

I ask for your help in highlighting the myths surrounding the proposals and for your help in opposing the abolition of the councils so that their retention can be built into the proposed reforms and that we deliver a system of local government fit for purpose.

I attach our submission to the Minister which outlines Westport Town Council's achievements and the many reasons why we should not be abolished.

Sincerely

 

___________

Keith Martin

Fwd: Submission on Joint Policing Committees

Cllr Keith Martin has called on members of the Westport Community to make their feelings know in relation to the successes or otherwise of the system of Local Policing Committees.

In his own submission to the Dept of Justice, Cllr Martin says the committees are too big, ineffective and powerless with TDs and other representatives "show-boating" for the press while the important issues of policing are not dealt with due to privacy or budgetary issues.

Cllr Martin is calling for smaller policing committees, without TDs, which would have some form of budget and an ability to discuss individuals and items in privacy outside of the public meetings.  He has also called for a shake up of national policing.

Cllr Martin is reacting to the call for submission from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter TD, who is seeking views from the Gardaí, local authorities, Oireachtas members, community organisations and the general public. 

Joint Policing Committees are established under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and are designed to allow for collective consideration of local policing issues between the Gardaí, local authority and Oireachtas elected members, officials and community representatives.

Submissions in relation to the Discussion Points outlined in this document or any other matters relating to the operation of JPCs may be sent by e-mail to jpc@justice.ie or by post to: JPC Review, Department of Justice and Equality, 94 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2.  Please note submissions must arrive by the end of January, 2013.

Cllr Martin's Submission:

1.  There are far to many members on the committees.  The bigger the committee the less it does.  A maximum number should be set with each body nominating its representatives to that committee.

  

2. The inclusion of Oireachtas members is unnecessary.  Local Policing is a matter for local government not national politicians.  There is no justification for TDs/Senators, tasked with national affairs from serving on a local committee like this.  They do not serve on any other similar body.

3.  The value of many of the community/voluntary members is minimal and should be targeted at the organisations which are relevant.

4.  There is a danger that they are nothing more than talking shops whereby show-boating for the press takes precedent over action.

5.  Because they are public meetings the discussions are too limited.  While policing policy should be debated in public, individual cases and items cannot be.

6. Without specific bugeting powers there's little that can be done differently anyway.  Any changes are often an issue of "Robbing Peter to pay Paul" when it comes to resources.  

7.  Policing should be devolved to local councils or regions as it is in the UK.  This would allow greater freedom for innovation, imaginative budgeting and reaction to different types of crime due to rural-urban divide.  What works in the Phoenix Park does not work in the villages of Mayo.

Keith Martin

Councillor

Westport Town Council

Submission on Joint Policing Committees

1.  There are far to many members on the committees.  The bigger the committee the less it does.  A maximum number should be set with each body nominating its representatives to that committee.

  

2. The inclusion of Oireachtas members is unnecessary.  Local Policing is a matter for local government not national politicians.  There is no justification for TDs/Senators, tasked with national affairs from serving on a local committee like this.  They do not serve on any other similar body.

3.  The value of many of the community/voluntary members is minimal and should be targeted at the organisations which are relevant.

4.  There is a danger that they are nothing more than talking shops whereby show-boating for the press takes precedent over action.

5.  Because they are public meetings the discussions are too limited.  While policing policy should be debated in public, individual cases and items cannot be.

6. Without specific bugeting powers there's little that can be done differently anyway.  Any changes are often an issue of "Robbing Peter to pay Paul" when it comes to resources.  

7.  Policing should be devolved to local councils are regions as it is in the UK.  This would allow greater freedom for innovation, imaginative budgeting and reaction to different types of crime due to rural-urban divide.  What works in the Phoenix Park does not work in the villages of Mayo.

Keith Martin

Councillor

Westport Town Council

Re: My address to the AMAI

First of all I'd like to welcome you to Westport and this meeting.  It's good of you to come at such short notice.

 

We on this council feel very strongly about this issue and about the AMAI's reaction and its good to have this opportunity to speak to you.

 

This council rejects the reforms as flawed and we do not accept that municipal councils are successors or replacements for town councils.

 

I have a number of questions in relation to the proposed abolition, the AMAI's reaction and future course of action in this matter.

 

I'd like to start by getting you to bust some myths for us in public in relation to Town Councils and Municipal Government.

 

Firstly the Minster has repeatedly stated and I quote "That there are too many councils and councillors" for a country the size of Ireland.

 

 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.

 

That only the UK has a lower ratio of councillors to citizens that Ireland?

 

 

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

 

 

The AMAI and An Bord Snip estimate the total saving from abolishing 75 town councils and 700 councillors is just €6 million; that's a saving of just €80k per council.

 

 

That the Minister's repeated claims of savings of hundreds of millions are actually derived from cost savings of shared equipment and manpower and the redundancies of 500 Public servants

 

The Minister says he is abolishing 80 councils but the truth is he is actually creating more councils than ever before?   if we are to believe that these municipal councils are anything more than grandiose local area committees?

 

 

 

In August of 2011 the AMAI PUBLISHED THE FINDINGS OF A REPORT

 

"The Case for Town Local Government in Ireland in the 21st Century", was carried out by researchers at University College Cork 

 

The study claims that town and borough councils are significantly less reliant on central government funding compared to city and county councils, yet are regularly targeted for exchequer cutbacks. 

 

The report points out that the more successful economies in the developed world all have a vibrant system of town government at the heart of their public administration systems. 

 

"Ireland needs a more comprehensive tier of town or community government covering the entire country. Currently we have too few town councils and quite often they carry the can for the ineffectiveness of county councils," said the AMAI.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Under the reforms there's no guarantee that the Westport Town Budget of over €5m will be spent in the area in future?

 

And that the savings of this council will most likely be handed over the County Council rather than be retained by the Municipal Council?

 

 

How does the AMAI go from calling for more town councils and councillors to the position of "welcoming the reform of local government while regretting the loss of 40% of Cllrs.  How can you welcome any reform which sees what you have proved is the most efficient form of local government and councillor.

 

How can you welcome any part of that?

 

When I heard of the abolition of this town council I emailed the AMAI and asked what the AMAI had done to fight this I received a one line reply

 

"What more could we have done?"

 

Do you think that is an adequate response?

 

The AMAI has failed to reverse its welcome for the reforms.

It has not publicly corrected the minister's propaganda

It has not organised a media campaign or even a protest meeting or petition.

 

 

Now we see the 5 Bourough Councils have banded together and made financial provision for action and a campaign to fight their aboltion.

 

Not a word of support from the AMAI for that.

 

The AMAI who should be a conduit for news and a campaign of resistence is silent expect for circulating requests for us to fill in submissions for boundaries

 

 

Meanwhile, President of the AMAI Willie Callaghan said he is disappointed that representatives of the association were not invited to last night's meeting in Midleton.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Callaghan said the association will take legal advice once the Bill is published, but this was not yet an option.

He said he was surprised a town or county manager would allow taxpayers' money to be used for taking a case.

That statement is a slap in th face to councils like Middleton in Cork who have put aside 50,000 for a legal case and Westport which has put aside 5,000 to support a court challenge or campaign against abolition.

 

 

The constitution is a living document.

 

There are un-numerated rights under the constitution, like free speech which are not written into it but have been implied to exist within it. 

 

Even if not intended a referendum can create unexpected changes to the referendum.

 

The local government amendment to the constitution could have created an implied right of protection for town councils, even if that was not the aim or intention of the referendum.

 

Chief Law officer of the state when a Senior Counsel advised that there were no constitutional implications or bars to ending Upward only rent reviews.  However on becoming Attorney General that same person advised the government that there WERE constitutional issues in relation to ending Upward only rent reviews.

 

If a SC counsel cannot be sure on an issue like this then we must persue our options through the court to see if there is any implied protection for our councils under the constitution.

 

i love local democracy and I love the fact that any citizen of this town can run for  office and change things if they wish.  the new system will create a power sub class of powerful full time councillors and with councils the size of county Louth people will need financial backing and a team of supporters to have any chance.  It is a bad day for democracy if that happens.

 

We must fight that.

 

On 18 January 2013 09:28, Councillor Keith Martin <councillorkeithmartin@gmail.com> wrote:

My address to the AMAI last night at Westport Town Council's January Meeting.

K

My address to the AMAI

My address to the AMAI last night at Westport Town Council's January Meeting.

K

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.