Grass Roots – An inside look at local politics – from the pens of the politicians themselves

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

So Councillor Noel Campbell is gone, helped along by those who made the complaint that he was now too high a grade in the public service to continue to represent people in his native town. Funny isn’t it that some people who are paid from the same public purse, a lot more than Cllr Campbell, remain as elected members of local councils.

What fascinates me most were the reports in the local papers of the glowing tributes that all present at the last meeting of Castlebar Town Council paid to Cllr Campbell, I’m sure they were all deserved.

It’s time for politicians to be honest with people

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

“It’s time for the politicians to be honest with the people in the area, for example with the sewerage scheme in Belmullet. We have been promised this basic bit of infrastructure for years and when the money was there we didn’t get it. But now the promises will be trotted out again come the election about it, but even if there is funding for it there, because of the polluter pays principle there are businesses in Belmullet who are going to have to contribute millions towards it to get it going. It’s time our politicians were honest with the people about this.”

Hands off Domiciliary Care Allowance O’Mahony warns Hanafin

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

Mayo Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony has said that any attempts by the Minister for Social Welfare, Mary Hanafin TD, to impose cut backs on the Domiciliary Care Allowance or the Domiciliary Care Respite Grant will not be tolerated and he has warned the Minister to back off.

Sinn Féin ratifies council contenders

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

The membership of Mayo Sinn Féin has unanimously ratified its team to contend the county council elections next June. The party’s local election convention held in Castlebar last weekend also endorsed the candidate to contest the Castlebar Town Council elections.

Sinn Féin’s election team is unique in the county as 50 per cent of those selected are female. The convention chairperson Councillor Seán MacManus highlighted the need for political parties to address the gender imbalance that exists on local authorities and congratulated the Mayo membership for putting together a strong team that would also represent the women of Mayo.

Martin hits back at Irish Independent Westport article

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

Westport is feeling the recession like the rest of Ireland but an article in last Friday's Irish Independent drew “an inaccurately dire picture of Westport's economic status” said Labour's Keith Martin, who is also a member of Westport’s Job Creation Taskforce.

Call for action plan for intelligent transport systems and services

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins has called on the Government to draw up a strategic action plan to increase research and development in the field of intelligent transport systems and services, associated with the EU-owned Galileo satellite. The satellite, which uses highly advanced navigation technology, is seen as a key step towards the creation of thousands of high-end jobs across the EU.

VAT on new homes should be reduced for first-time buyers - Ring

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

The Fine Gael spokesperson on community, rural and Gaeltacht affairs Deputy Michael Ring has called for a reduction in VAT charges in order to stimulate new house sales. But Dep Ring is empathic the benefit should only apply to first-time buyers and not developers.

Live register almost doubles for those under twenty five - Kenny

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

Fine Gael Leader Enda Kenny TD is disappointed that the live register has almost doubled for those under 25 years of age in Co Mayo. The increase from December 2007 to December 2008 is 97.6 per cent, jumping from 929 people to 1,836 people.

Claremorris Fianna Fáil team selected

Fri, Jan 23, 2009

Four candidates have been selected by Fianna Fáil to contest the Local Elections this June in the Claremorris are.

Grassroots

Fri, Jan 16, 2009

Demographic changes and reduction in population will provide a major challenge for Government and local authorities in the future. Recent census figures in Co Mayo have indicated a substantial reduction in population figures in parts of our county, considering the fact that Mayo County Council has built substantial housing schemes in most towns and villages and considering the increase in private housing development undertaken during the Celtic Tiger period in the county.

The census figures have shown a substantial decline in parts of rural Mayo. In the north Mayo and Achill areas this decline of population is evident. This reduction of population has an impact on the pupil numbers attending primary and secondary schools within the county.

Time to breathe new life into the west

Fri, Jan 16, 2009

Earlier this week, Sinn Féin Senator Pearse Doherty gave a presentation to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on his new report on redevelopment in the west, entitled Awakening the West.