“The demand from Sinn Féin that Local Authorities must receive 80% of all funds raised in their areas through the Local Property Tax must surely earn them the title “Brass Neck Hypocrites of the Year”,” according to former Lord Mayor of Dublin and Leader of the Labour Group on Dublin City Council, Councillor Dermot Lacey.
Sinn Fein constantly claims they oppose this tax, despite imposing an even higher one in Northern Ireland yet they want the funds dispersed locally.
“What do they want Dublin to get ? 80% of Nothing?
“You cannot have it both ways. Either you support, as I do, a locally determined, locally collected and locally spent tax or you admit that your Budgets, your economics and your financial strategy is a con job.
“As we begin the process of preparing a City Budget for 2014 once again we see Sinn Féin’s economic strategy for what it is: flawed, hypocritical and mathematically impossible.”

On November 20th I appeared on Council Matters on Dublin City FM.  You can see a webcam of the studio discussion in the video below.

Annual Report from Dermot Lacey to Constituency – November 2013

City Council Group:

On the City Council I have continued to serve as Labour Group Leader during the year.

While, unfortunately we have lost one member, the Group has acted cohesively and this has given added strength in pursuing issues over the year. The next major task will be to secure agreement on the City Budget for 2014 in the context of massively reduced central funding and uncertainty about the intentions on the Property Tax.

Housing Committee:

As Chairperson of the Housing Committee I am happy to report that we have made some progress during the year. The complete overhaul of the Crampton buildings complex is now underway and hopefully construction work will soon start on Tom Kelly Flats, Charlemont Street.  I am optimistic about support from Labour in Government for the application by the Royal Hospital Voluntary Housing Association for a demolition and rebuild project for 25 units at Beech Hill Terrace. A new “time on list” Allocations Policy has been agreed and is now in place.

Association of Irish Regions and Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly:

In September I completed my term as Cathaoirleach of the Southern and Eastern Regional Assembly and a month later was elected Cathaoirleach of the Association of Irish Regions. Both have given me an insight into the need for a coherent Regional Policy in Ireland and to regret the missed opportunity for same in the Local Government “Reform” Bill.

External Bodies:

During the year I attended regular meetings of the VEC (now the Educational and Training Board) and its sub-committees, the Board of the Rathmines–Pembroke Partnership and the Commissioners of Irish Lights. I remain on the Executive of the Association of City and County Councils. I actively participated in the Herbert Park Users Forum, the Lansdowne Stadium Project Monitoring Committee and continued my role as Chairperson of the South Inner City Local Drugs Task Force and joined the City Enterprise Board.

Local Issues:

Working on the Flood Protection measures for Ballsbridge and Donnybrook took up a lot of time- but real progress is being made. I have attended the AGM’s and other meetings organised by the Sandymount and Merrion Residents Association, Nutley Residents Association, Donnybrook, Terenure, Portobello, Milltown and Rathgar Residents and worked with other bodies right across the area and of course followed up on the issues raised.

Miscellaneous:

After many years of campaigning substantial upgrades are now taking place in Herbert Park and flood reduction works have been installed in St. Alban’s Park. The Grafton Street rejuvenation is underway and agreed has been reached on the new Docklands Strategic Development Zone and a new Z15 zoning to protect open spaces

Naming Committee:

The work of the Commemorative Naming Committee took up a lot of time but in the end it has been worth it. In addition to approving the name of Rosie Hackett for the new Bridge – of which more later – we have commissioned a new standard memorial for significant sites and properties and developed a local commemorative policy for parks and other public places.  A suitable memorial for former local Fine Gael TD the late Joe Doyle has also been approved for Herbert Park.

Thanks:

As ever thanks are due to a number of people for their support. It has been a pleasure to work with Mary, Oisin, Maria and Gerry on the City Council and Kevin, Ruairi and Ivana in the Oireachtas continue to do us proud.

Thanks are due to Jill who puts up with me and a lot more besides.

However we must not take any of that for granted. When I joined we had one Senator who was also a Councillor we now have a Minister, a second TD, a Senator and five Councillors. We need to make sure that we use that strength, achieved by the work of very many people, to deliver on real reform and economic recovery. Both are important.  We have a chance to transform Irish society – we should not be satisfied with just transforming the economy.

With new Electoral Areas the next year will perhaps be our most challenging ever – we can rise to that challenge.  I look forward to representing Pembroke-South Dock. With the support of the people of the area I will.

It is proposed to put a large  offshore wind farm in Dublin Bay – see below for details  in relation to same. This could have major benefits and it could have serious adverse effects in respect of views of Dublin Bay.  The photomontages for the windfarm, together with the EIS, are on display until the 1st of June only at:  Public Libraries in Howth & Dun Laoghaire; Garda Stations in Bray & Greystones  & at the RDS, Anglesea Road, Hall 10A  (10am-4pm Tuesday-Friday; 10am-3pm Saturday).

Public Consultation Period: 9^th April – 1^st June 2013

• A private company has lodged an application with the Department of Environment, Community & Local Government for a Foreshore Lease to construct a large scale wind farm (“Dublin Array”) on the Kish & Bray Banks, 10 km off the coast of Dublin & Wicklow.   The application proposes construction of 145 turbines, each up to 160 m from sea level to blade tip, five times higher than the Kish Lighthouse (31m). It will be visible all around the coast and from significant viewpoints inland.

• The developers’  Non-Technical Summary states that the electricity generated may be sold to Irish consumers.  Alternatively, it may be connected directly to the UK to help that country meet its renewable energy targets.

• As legally required, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been prepared on behalf of the developers and lodged with the application.  The EIS was made available for public consultation from 9^th April to 1st June 2013.  Final date for submissions: 11^th June 2013.

• There is virtually no public awareness of the application, the EIS or the public consultation.
• The proposed development, covering an area of 54 km², would have substantial environmental impacts.

• With regard to landscape impacts, the construction of 145 huge turbines, 10 km off the coast will significantly alter the character and quality of coastal landscapes from Howth to South Wicklow.   The developers’ EIS assesses visual impact from 22 viewpoints and predicts significant adverse impacts for 16 of these. They are Howth, Clontarf, Sutton, Bull Island, Poolbeg/Ringsend,  Sandymount,  Dalkey, Killiney, Bray, Greystones, Newcastle, Sugar Loaf Mountain, the N11 at Kilmullin, Carrickgollogan Hill (overlooking Shankill) & Wicklow town.

• “Adverse Major” Visual Impacts are predicted by the developer for Bray Head, Killiney Hill, Vico Road and Howth Head, nationally important scenic areas. These effects, listed in the EIS, give some idea of the immense visual impact the Dublin Array offshore wind farm would have on the entire coast from Howth to South Wicklow.

• The Kish and Bray Banks are shallow sandbanks, an important habitat listed for protection under the EU Habitats Directive.  Some degradation of these banks is inevitable, given the scale of the proposed development.  The EIS acknowledges disturbance of wildlife, including the harbour porpoise, a protected species, commonly seen in Dublin Bay.  Information on a wide range of potential impacts is given in the EIS.

• The EIS is available online, without photomontages, at www.dublinarray.com

• It may be viewed, with photomontages, at five locations around the coast:  Public Libraries in Howth & Dun Laoghaire; Garda Stations in Bray & Greystones  & at the RDS, Anglesea Road, Hall 10A  (10am-4pm Tuesday-Friday; 10am-3pm Saturday).

This current period for consultation is the only opportunity afforded to the public to influence the proposed construction of a major industrial development in Dublin Bay.

It is extraordinary, indeed somewhat surreal, that once again we are having a debate on the introduction of a Property Tax/Council Charge in the absence of virtually any contribution from those who actually work within the local government sector and who try to make a dysfunctional system work at all.

Instead we have had myriad opinion pieces from academics, ill informed commentators, vested interests and frequently the oppositionists from the Far Left and the Nationalist Left who have opposed every single suggestion as to how we should finance our system fairly and with democratic accountability.

Too often the voice of the Constructive left has been sidelined and the platform left to the opportunists. Across the world Socialists and Social Democrats advocate payment into a collective fund, toward the provision of collective services.

Opposing the “Trendy Left”

All across the world, that is, except for the Trendy Left and Nationalist Left in Ireland. Here they simply oppose, protest, march, campaign and instil fear and selfish individualism. I oppose their agenda just as much as I oppose those who broke this country and brought Ireland to its knees.

No Public representative particularly wants to advocate more tax. However, surely this country has had enough of those who promise without cost and who offer Public Services without any reference to payment or appropriate taxation.

The truth is that since the populist and cowardly abolition of Domestic Rates Local Government has been starved of funding. The promise to reimburse Councils for the Rates foregone was never honoured by Government. I have calculated that since that decision approximately E4billion has been withheld from Dublin City Council alone by Government. That cannot be sustained.

More accountable model

It is clear that the Property Tax has many flaws I hope that in the period between now and the announcement of Budget 2014 we can use the period to tackle those problems and develop a fairer and more accountable model.

However instead of even attempting to develop an alternative or seek to amend the legislation the pretend Far Left in Ireland just say No. So much for Social Solidarity, so much for honesty and so much for the redistribution of wealth that they claim to stand for.

We need an honest debate on Local Government Reform and on Local Government Financing.

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