Press Release - Looney Welcomes Passage of Council Budget

Labour Party Councillor Dermot Looney (Tallaght Central) has welcomed the passage of the 2013 South Dublin County Council Budget, stating that the Budget “seeks to protect frontline services and develop South Dublin as a good place to live and work.” The Council’s Budget was passed at a meeting on Monday, December 17^th with the support of Labour, Sinn Féin and Fine Gael Councillors, along with two Independents. Looney has also criticised Fianna Fáil, who voted and spoke against the Budget without offering any alternative proposals.

“Today’s Budget seeks to protect frontline Council services such as Housing, Roads, Parks and Environmental Services, despite a substantial drop in income from central government and other sources. We have also managed to increase funding to the Council’s award-winning Library Services,” stated Looney. 

“Members of the Labour/Sinn Féin/Independent Alliance on the Council have again foregone tens of thousands of euro in Conference Expenses, following through on a 2009 pledge not to claim any money for Conferences at home or abroad. This money has been diverted into a Window Replacement Fund, increased to approximately €1 million, and targeted at local authority tenants. Councillors also froze rates for businesses in the County, after three separate rates cuts of accumulating to 5.3% since 2009. Important supports for vulnerable people were also protected, such as housing grants for the elderly and those who are disabled."

“Fianna Fáil opposed the Council Budget without offering a single alternative. At the meeting, I called on them to present alternative ideas, but, as has happened before, they could not be bothered. They subsequently complained about burial ground charge increases; despite knowing about these increases for more than a year they offered no alternatives on the day or in advance. It is hard to take them seriously on the issue. Last year, members of the Labour/Sinn Féin/Independent Alliance managed to offset some of the increases by diverting money set aside for Councillor Conferences to the burial grounds. Fianna Fáil Cllrs used those same funds to travel to hotels around the country attending Conferences.”

Press Release: Looney and IT Tallaght Labour Welcome Bus Shelter After 3-Year Long Campaign

Tallaght Central Labour Cllr Dermot Looney and the IT Tallaght Labour Youth Branch have welcomed the construction of a bus shelter outside the college following a campaign which has lasted almost three years. Looney launched a campaign with the college branch at the beginning of 2010 to highlight the concerns of the hundreds of students and staff of IT Tallaght who use the bus stop on the Old Blessington Road on a daily basis.

The campaign included a petition with 1,100 signatures from IT Tallaght students, motions to South Dublin County Council, social media platforms and other methods to convince Dublin Bus of the need to install the shelter at the stop. Following pressure from the campaign, Dublin Bus confirmed they would inspect the site in March 2011 and agreed in November 2011 to seek planning permission. This planning permission was agreed in the summer of 2012 and the construction of the shelter occurred during the last week. The shelter has already been well used by students and staff of the college, as well as others who live and work in the area, given the inclement weather.

“I am delighted to welcome the installation of this much-needed bus shelter,” noted Cllr Dermot Looney, “the delivery of which was achieved after almost three years of campaigning. I want to congratulate my colleagues in the IT Tallaght Labour Youth branch for their work in helping to win this campaign. I also want to thank Dublin Bus for recognising the demands of students and other bus users in installing this shelter, and South Dublin County Council for assisting the application process.”

“I also want to pay tribute to IT Tallaght Students’ Union, who supported the campaign, to the hundreds of staff and students who signed the petition, the dozens to signed up to our Facebook page, and to the other public representatives in the area who supported my motions.”

Adam Fulham, Chair of IT Tallaght Labour Youth, said; “Our campaign started in early 2010 when we began to collect signatures for a petition we sent to Dublin Bus. By the end of 2010, 1,100 people had signed the petition for the shelter. More than 300 people signed up to our Facebook group and we won support from Cllrs and TD’s through the work of Cllr Dermot Looney. This is a great example where people power has won out for the students of our college.”

 

Below: Picture of Cllr Dermot Looney and Adam Fulham at the Bus Shelter outside IT Tallaght, with some of the petitions signed by IT Tallaght students and staff.

Looney Calls on Local Football Fans to “Support the Saints” this Sunday

Local Councillor Dermot Looney has called on local football fans to get behind St Patrick’s Athletic in the FAI Cup Final this Sunday, November 4^th. Looney, a lifelong Saints fan, is encouraging lapsed Pat’s fans, neutrals and those with only a passing interest to avail of the cheap admission to the Aviva and support St Pat’s, who will take on Derry City in the final.

“At only €10 for adults and €5 for kids, this is a wonderful opportunity for all football fans to attend the Aviva at a fraction of the cost of a standard international ticket. A bumper atmosphere is guaranteed and with St Pat’s looking to secure their first Cup win in 51 years, it could be a truly historic match.”

“There are plenty of ‘lapsed Saints’ in our local area – those who might have attended Pat’s games over the years – who can bring great support to the Aviva on Sunday. Likewise, it will be a great family day out for neutrals, and for fans of other clubs. Even Shamrock Rovers fans will be cheering for St Pat’s on the day – no doubt behind gritted teeth – given that a Saints win is their only path into European football!”

“A recent report issued by the UK’s tourism agency stated that almost 200,000 Irish people travelled to Britain last year to watch English Premier League matches, spending almost €100 million. If one-tenth of those people spent a fraction of that money supporting their local football club, it would transform League of Ireland clubs. This is the ideal opportunity to catch an Irish football match before the winter break.”

Tickets are available via the St Patrick’s Athletic offices at 125 Emmet Rd, Inchicore and on the day at the Aviva Stadium.

O’Sullivan and Looney Call for Upgrade to Walkinstown Post Office

Two Dublin 12 Labour Councillors in neighbouring local authorities have joined together to call for an upgrade to a local Post Office service on the border of the City and County Council. South Dublin County Councillor Dermot Looney has joined with his Dublin City Council colleague Michael O’Sullivan to campaign for an upgrade to postal services in Walkinstown.

The Walkinstown Post Office is located in a small, old building on Bunting Road which the two Councillors have said is “not fit for purpose.” O’Sullivan and Looney have called on An Post to upgrade the services in the interests of safety, security and service for residents living nearby in the Walkinstown and Greenhills areas.

“The Post Office was located in this building decades ago with the assumption that this would be a temporary measure,” said Cllr Michael O’Sullivan. “But despite the huge changes in the postal service over all those years, little has changed for local residents.”

“The current premises is unsuitable for a modern post office service. There are serious safety and security concerns for staff and customers which came to light in recent robberies. Furthermore, the premises is too small to accommodate the large numbers who use the Post Office,” concluded O’Sullivan.

His South Dublin colleague Cllr Dermot Looney stated; “Since the closure of the Greenhills Post Office with the fire at the old McHugh’s site in 2003, thousands of residents in the Greenhills area have had to use the Bunting Rd office for their postal service. This has led to yet further pressure on the staff and the premises itself. It is particularly depressing to see large queues out the door at busy times, in all weathers – particularly when so many elderly and vulnerable people need to use the Post Office.”

“I have called on An Post to reinstate the postal service in Greenhills but, in the meantime, an upgrade to the Bunting Rd facility, or a move to an appropriate and nearby facility is required,” noted Looney. “If there is to be a move, it must be accessible by bus from Greenhills and other nearby estates. The rumoured move to the Superquinn on Walkinstown Road would be inaccessible for many elderly residents in Greenhills. I have communicated this to the CEO of An Post and Minister Pat Rabbitte and hope this is taken on board if a new site is being sourced.”

Both Cllrs have been told by An Post that they are aware of the problems being experienced at the Bunting Rd facility and that the company is actively seeking an upgrade. Both Cllrs have submitted motions to their local area committees at Council level and will be continuing the campaign in the time ahead.

Reply to the "Seanad Reform" Group

Earlier today I received an email from a Communications firm acting on behalf of seanadreform.com, as below.

Dear Councillor

Attached is a consultation paper entitled ‘Radical Seanad Reform Through Legislative Change - Proposals for Measures to Transform Seanad Éireann Without The Need For Constitutional Amendment’ prepared by Senator Feargal Quinn, Michael McDowell, Joe O’Toole, Noel Whelan and Senator Katherine Zappone. 

They look forward to receiving your views on info@seanadreform.com.

Kind regards, etc

 The document is meant to be available online. My response is below.

Hi .....,

 

many thanks for your email. I read through much of the consultation paper earlier today. Much of it is interesting; some of it is downright offensive, e.g. the proposal to maintain votes for graduates, and the vestige of the quasi-fascist Quadragesimo Anno in support of vocational panels.

 

My views are straightforward. Seanad Éireann is an anachronistic, elitist institution which is beyond reform. If we, as a country, are genuine about actual democracy, and giving power to citizens and communities, we will move on from the Seanad sideshow and seek real reform of the Dáil, local authorities and other structures.

 

I, of course, accept that some individual Senators have been excellent advocates in the past; but the institution itself is the problem.

 

Is mise, le meas,

Dermot Looney

 

Cllr Dermot Looney

Labour Party | Pairtí an Lucht Oibre

Tallaght Central