By Dermot Lacey
By the time you are reading this the General Election will be over. Dublin Bay South will have elected four TDs to represent the area for the next Dail term. Whoever they are I wish them well and look forward to working with them as I have with many TDs over the last thirty + years.
Despite the General Election the work of Local Government continued with three City Council meetings and two Area Committee meetings since the last Lacey Report.
At City Council work focused on housing, the Taoiseach’s Task Force on Dublin, the Local Property Tax rate and the Council Budget for 2025. While welcoming the recommendations of the Task Force – most of which had previously been proposed by Councillors – I expressed doubt as to the seriousness of the Government’s commitment. As Programmes for Government are being formulated I hope that Local Government Reform will feature. As I have often said: “Ireland can be transformed through Local Government Reform.” Let’s see?
At Area Committee level I have focused on seeking various traffic/safety measures right across the area. We have been pursuing the installation of Public car charging points across the area. We now have agreement that the first few will include the car parks at The Crescent in Donnybrook, Strand Terrace in Milltown, and the former O’Sheas Pub – now Farmer Browns at Clonskeagh Road.
A particular highlight at the November Area Committee was a presentation by local Architect John O’Neill of his ideas for the former Merrion Baths. This crumbling piece of our heritage is now a source of serious concern to me. I am concerned that an accident could occur. My hope is that through an imaginative approach – perhaps a Public Competition – we could create a safe and innovative water space there that would reflect their historic use. The presentation can be seen on the Webcast for the South East Area Committee from November 11th on the Dublin City Council website.
In early November I was deeply honoured to be nominated by the Government as one of Ireland’s nine full members of the Brussels based Committee of the Regions. This is a partner body to the European Parliament and Commission and represents the voice of Local Government at European level. I will be the only Labour Party member of the Committee and will work through the Socialist and Democrats Group. I am grateful to my Party Leader Ivana Bacik for putting me forward for that role.
The 8th November saw a group of Dublin City Councillors travel to Belfast to meet with the Lord Mayor and Chief Executive of Belfast City Council, Community Leaders and the head of the new Development Agency in the City. This was a really useful visit and already my colleague Cllr Fiona Connelly has been working on an exciting proposal for the Rathmines Post Office based on a project we saw in Belfast. It was wonderful to see the improvements in Belfast since my last visit but sad to see the need for a Peace wall dividing communities. A really good day however was damaged when I arrived in Connolly Station to find that my EBike had been stolen.
Other meetings include Chairing the Ringsend, Rathmines, Ballsbridge and Liberties Education and Training Board Colleges. Many people do not realise the role Local Government has in Education. But this is one of them. In Rathmines College also we recently welcomed a visit by the Minister for Higher Education Patrick O’Donovan, the Lord Mayor, and Senator Michael Mc Dowell as part of the campaign to restore the beautiful Concert Hall once extensively used in the heart of the building. Deputy Ivana Bacik and Cllr Fiona Connelly had also recently visited as part of the campaign.
I attended the AGM and ordinary Board meetings of both the Little Museum of Dublin and the Royal Hospital Donnybrook. Both great Dublin Institutions. The HSE Regional Health Forum held its meeting in Dun Laoghaire where I continued to push for proper public use of the former Baggot Street Hospital. I also arranged an onsite meeting of key Dublin City Council staff with residents in Heskin Court. That meeting will lead, I hope, to positive action to restore this once beautiful complex to its former glory.
On Sunday 17th November I attended the AGM of the Donnybrook Scout Group. I am not sure how many AGMs the group has had but in two years’ time it will celebrate its centenary. It is from the Scouts that I learned about community and the value of each person. The event was so inspiring with the young people taking the lead presenting their programmes and work over the last twelve months, and awards and badges presented by the outgoing Group Leader Laura O’Connor. Long may Scouting in Donnybrook continue to serve the community and the great young (and some not so young) members.
Just to show that not everything is about meetings and work, on Sunday 10th November I attended a brilliant concert in Vicar Street with the Dublin City Ramblers and the magical Sea of Change Choir. Yep “Dublin can be Heaven”. No they didn’t sing that.
That’s it for now and for 2024. Thanks for your engagement and support. Hope to see lots of you on Sandymount Green for the annual Wren event on St Stephen’s Day. I cannot imagine being anywhere else. If you are there say hello.
