other information
Fermoy town council
May Press Releases
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy Town Council has said he is deeply disappointed with the appearance of Fianna Fail’s European campaign posters in locations around Fermoy over the weekend. While recognising that no law has been broken through the actions, Adam Douglas says that it is regrettable nevertheless. “The Town Council Gave a Clear indication in a 6 to 1 vote in February that they would prefer posters not to be placed on lampposts and other poles in the town. The fact that Fianna Fail have not heeded this request shows disrespect for a democratic decision. Posters within an urban environment are unsightly and amount to visual littering. I’m Pleased that Fermoy has led the way in saying no to posters. While this will no doubt be condemned, like so many other things by fianna fail, as dirty tricks, the reality is that the origin of these posters has been authenticated, and that if they were not put up by volunteers of the party, they were erected by an outside agency employed by the party, who should have been notified of Fermoy's Poster-free status. Meanwhile, Mr Douglas Also said that it was unfortunate that posters from different parties had been placed on ESB telegraph poles, “This is the type of thing that would cause great obstruction to works should repairs need to be carried out at short notice, it is banned for good reason”Douglas disappointed with town postering - FF Should work with council if it wants to be part of the council Sunday 10th May 2009
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy has welcomed moves by Green Party Leader John Gormley to clamp down on rogue builders who leave housing estates unfinished. For the first time, Councils will be able to share information on bad builders and apply it to planning decisions, ensuring that those with a history of unfinished projects will be unable to get planning permission for their next project. Speaking today, Adam Douglas warmly welcomed the proposals, “This new power will no doubt equip well the next membership of Fermoy Town Council, which I thoroughly hope to be a member of. The issue of unfinished estates, with poor roads, neglected green areas and lack of lighting has been coming up on the doors again and again. All these hallmarks are noticeable in the Crann Ard development on Pike Road, to name just one of many. The behaviour of the developer has been and continues to be completely unfair on residents. Many of the housing estates built during the boom were never properly finished, leaving those who paid high prices for their houses to put up with neglected and in some cases, dangerous roads, footpaths and green areas.” The clampdown initiated by Minister Gormley will result in a national system to share information between Councils, who can track a developer or builder’s previous record. Currently, local authorities cannot take a developer’s track record into account when considering planning permission, allowing rogue developers to reoffend. “While I think the council’s current stance of trying to get the developer to finish what he’s supposed to do in Crann Ard is the right one, it must surely be admitted that the chances of catching up with him are now unlikely. These welcome moves will encourage developers to finish off roads and footpaths and to finish and indeed maintain garden landscaping, if they want to get permission for their next project, and ensure that we don’t have similar debacles in the future.” The new planning laws will come into effect under the Planning bill 2009, which is currently being finalised by Minister for the Environment, Gormley.Douglas welcomes Green Leader’s clamp-down -Developers who leave housing estates unfinished to be targeted Monday 11th May 2009
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy Town Council has said the new Council, which he is aiming to be a member of, must roll up their Sleeves in the effort to win back jobs for the town and its environs. Speaking after local authorities were invited to submit proposals for renewable energy centres to the Oireachtas sub-committee on job creation through use of renewable energy resources, Adam Douglas said it was just one of many opportunities on the table that if the next council would be missing an open goal if it didn’t take this chance to highlight Fermoy’s Advantages, “We have an empty facility at the former FCI Plant as well as the infamous IDA site to the North of the town in which to locate these medium-scale operations, and a great pool of people locally. We’re also strategically close to the Universities and Institutes of Technology which can provide the expertise to make Fermoy a Productive centre in Green-tech jobs. It’s all too easy to bemoan every group under the sun for the Problems we’re in but councillors have to accept that they’re the ones in Pole Position to fix the Problem and that if they don’t it won’t happen by magic”. The renewable energy projects will follow the example of the town of Gussing in Austria where a renewable energy project has transformed the local economy. In Gussing, 50 new companies have been established since the 1990s, employing more than 1,000 people through the establishment and continual expansion of an alternative system of producing energy from sustainable resources, grown, garnered and utilised in the local area, and using this energy to supply electricity and heat to business, industry and private homes in the same area, “The committee has already stated that at least one of the Irish locations they are aiming to identify will be in Munster. The only way to make sure it’s Fermoy is if the council act with one voice in their approach to the issue. I’d even be happy to write the submission myself, provided there are no Pact-Politics in the next council to hinder its progress. That’s why voters must be wary of giving a mandate to Pact-Prone Politicians who threaten to continue Fermoy’s Political Paralysis until 2014”.Council ‘must get stuck-in’ in jobs hunt -Douglas says new council must be to the fore in local economy Saturday 16th May 2009
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy Town Council has said the ensuring of policy implementation in the next council must not, like the term before it, be left entirely to the executive branch. Speaking today, Adam Douglas said certain reforms need to be put in place so that local people know how to raise problems with their councillors and councillors know how to, and are allowed, get things done, “The best example of the lack of joined-up thinking at the moment is the infrequent mowing of open lawn space in Beechfield Estate and Rathcarrig on the Pike Road, which is completely unfair on the residents of those areas. People in these areas, and indeed all others in the town, should be provided with a list of members’ contacts for Problems like this, so that they can be Speedily brought to the attention of maintenance staff employed by the council. “At the moment it appears that councillors just sit down once a year, outline the rough estimates for each area in the budget, and then go away and hope for the best. This laissez-faire attitude has been shown not to work time and time again, whilst people have to put up for weeks and months with overgrown grass to mention but a few inadequacies. We need far less talk and much more action to get things done efficiently and without creating a circus around an issue”.Douglas calls for new type of town Politics -Next council must be more hands-on’ says Green Candidate Sunday 17th May 2009
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy Town Council partook in the Fermoy launch of his party’s local Election manifesto 2009 ‘building better communities’ outside of Town Hall and vowed that a Green vote in Fermoy would bring about a more democratic mayor’s office, in more ways than one. “My belief is that people in Fermoy would benefit from a directly elected mayor with powers to direct local services. But until that becomes a reality we have to look at the behaviour of councillors, as they currently choose the mayor year-on-year. We now have confirmation, as if we needed it, from a member of the infamous group of five that the arrangement has been in Place. The voting weight of this pact has stymied cooperation, blocked crucial motions, put incompetent people in responsible positions and effectively disenfranchised a large portion of Fermoy’s voters post-ballot.” Mr Douglas said he could not agree with Cllr Pyne’s defence of the deal as he claimed she was not comparing like for like when suggesting this was no different to other coalition arrangements, “There is no ‘meeting of minds’, no ‘programme for Fermoy’, in fact it hasn’t even been acknowledged by any of the five until three weeks short of polling day. This admission Should in no way equate to absolution for what’s been done them. This Pact was never anything more than a convergence of selfish interests to share around the mayor’s position. In the process the discern with which they’ve treated the other four members has turned Fermoy’s council body into a laughing stock at a county and national level, as the media have had no choice but to report the scandalous goings-on on courthouse Road. Mr Douglas furthermore added that he was the only Party-Political candidate that could be trusted to end the abuse of power, “The Pact as we know it is made up of independents, Closet Fianna Fail-ers, and fully-fledged members of Fine Gael and Labour. By contrast, I offer a Promise of transparent and open voting for what is best for the people of Fermoy, not what’s best for my political stature. I would encourage people in Fermoy to give me their No.1 as anything less threatens a continuation of the same thing”. Following the announcement by Minister for Local Government John Gormley that Dubliners will be voting for a mayor with a range of new powers next summer, Adam Douglas said: "Our town deserves a mayor with real powers, elected by the people – and answerable to them. We would benefit from an elected mayor that could better steer policies to create jobs and improve local services in our area. Dublin is just a starting point for powerful mayors and I encourage people to support my campaign for a directly elected mayor for Fermoy. "The green paper on local government reform, published by Minister Gormley last April, recommended that the democratic policy making function of local government would be strengthened by giving important powers of initiation – budgets, development plans etc, to the mayor. I am confident that the forthcoming white paper which is due to be published soon will support this recommendation and I ask people to give me their support as Fermoy needs a directly elected mayor." More details on Minister Gormley's announcement can be found here Government's green paper on local government reform can be accessed here-Time must be called on town council ‘Pacts’ -- Only a Green vote can assure an end to most murky deal Monday 18th May 2009
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy Town Council has promised to consistently vote against rises in the commercial rates burden if elected to the next term of the council. Speaking today, Adam Douglas said that the Annual Charges had become a considerable weight upon business in the town and it was vital that voters looked to candidates who would seek more innovative ways of plugging the funding gap, “As I’ve said on many occasions, targeting the most productive sector of the local economy to make up for financial Problems caused not by businesses in the town but by councillors’ mismanagement is the wrong way to go. Rates need to be stabilised for five years to allow inflation to catch up and the fees to fall in line more with what continental businesses pay”. “In the meantime Minister for the Environment, John Gormley is continuing to look at more sustainable ways of establishing a local tax base, including a tax on second homes and introducing parking Charges for large-scale out-of-town shopping centres. In Particular I hope the latter will discourage people leaving Fermoy as it should Allow Parking Charges in the town to be gradually dropped to levels last seen in the middle of the decade. As a councillor I will lend my support to the minister in implementing sensible solutions to get the town’s finances in order”. “Current councillors have had over a year to grapple with the recession as it is here in Fermoy. To date they have offered nothing constructive that wouldn’t also bankrupt the town. There is no reason to think this would change if they’re elected again”, concluded the candidate.-Douglas rules out support for rates rises - Green Promises to vote against increases in life of next council Thursday 21st May 2009
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy Town Council has cautiously welcomed the impending opening of the Fermoy-Mitchelstown section of the M8 Cork-Dublin Motorway, due to occur on Monday. Speaking ahead of the official ceremony, Adam Douglas said that while it had to be recognised that it was delivered well Ahead of Schedule and within budget, nevertheless attention now had to turn to making sure it would actually benefit Fermoy motorists, “This new stretch of road was built with Public money, yet the danger remains that it will predominantly benefit a Private entity. It is already clear that the big net beneficiary of this project will be DirectRoute and their tolling operation at Watergrasshill and Rathcormac. The continuous section between County Laois and Cork City will mean far fewer diversions of HGVs and the like through our town, with a great traffic alleviating impact, of course which I welcome”. “However, DirectRoute will be getting more revenue than ever before from their increased traffic, with virtually no greater spending needed on their part. It follows that it is only right and proper that the tolling company should reduce their Toll Charges forthwith. I’ll be writing to the company in the next few weeks to ask them to do just that. Anything less than a speedy reduction in charges by DirectRoute would be an Abuse of its Position and profiteering of an gross kind”. Meanwhile Mr Douglas Also criticised the attendance of Politicians from All sides at such openings, saying it was Shameless Publicity grabbing. The Green candidate slammed Politicians that ‘criticise NRA Officials at council meetings yet pose happily for pictures with them a few days later’, saying they had to make their mind up where they stand on issues.-New Motorway must benefit Fermoy Traffic situation -Douglas Piles Pressure on Toll Company Friday 22nd May 2009
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy Town Council has said that While Thursday’s Publication of expenses figures totalling €170,000 for the last five years were Shocking, they Shouldn’t come as any surprise. Speaking today, Adam Douglas said that such systemic Abuse by councillors would never be allowed to recur, thanks to moves by Minister for the Environment John Gormley to drastically tackle the conference culture which has been rife amongst the ‘Fermoy Five’ and councillors elsewhere, “I welcome Minister Gormley’s commitment that councillors Elected for the coming five years will have Access to just 20% of the monies they once were able to get for going to these junkets, a huge reduction. All the same, though, no one ever forced these people to waste the money of hard-up taxpayers and rate-payers. It is important that the people of Fermoy send out a strong signal to this out-of-touch bunch that we are no longer willing to have our money Spent on sending them on days out to every part of the country. While other parties have been jostling to get as much expenses as they can, the Greens have been the first to tackle this Problem head-on”, concluded the candidate. John Gormley’s Plans Also include car-sharing by councillors going from one region to another, and preventing more than one councillor from any one body going to a particular conference, in order to avoid duplication.-Expenses exposure an important first step -Scandal-ridden councillors can now be stopped - Douglas Sunday 24th May 2009
Minister for the Environment John Gormley today announced details of new laws that will Clamp down on nuisance noise. The Green Party's local election candidate for Fermoy welcomed the announcement saying "This will be particularly beneficial to those living in noisy areas. Likewise it will also give relief in neighbourhoods where intruder alarms make life miserable for all." The Noise Nuisance Bill is part of the programme for Government. The bill was approved by Cabinet last week and will go before the Oireachtas this autumn. Launching the bill Minister Gormley said: "The new noise laws will improve the effectiveness of the existing resources available to tackle nuisance noise issues. It will strengthen existing local authority powers and allow for a system of immediate fines both for residential and business offenders.” Under the current system council officials are not able to take action immediately to stop sources of noise pollution, they can go through the courts but this takes weeks. Authorised officers from local authorities and An Garda Siochana will be given new fast-track powers to take prompt and effective action to deal with intruder alarms when they sound continuously at premises. Adam Douglas concluded "Noise Pollution affects nearly everybody and can be a matter of Particular concern for those badly affected by boy racers, late night parties or neighbours with blaring intruder alarms. The World Health Organisation has said that noise pollution can have serious public health affects including sleep disturbance, auditory and physiological effects. This new bill aims to improve quality of life and allow people in Fermoy to get their well-deserved rest without interruption."-New noise laws will bring peace to Fermoy residents - Douglas -On the spot fines for nuisance noise will deter boy racers and the like Monday 25th May 2009
The Green Party Candidate for Fermoy Town Council has called on Cork County Council to install signs north of the new M8 Fermoy-Mitchelstown bypass to inform motorists of when they are arriving in county cork. Speaking today, Adam Douglas said the signs would serve multiple purposes, “Cork is distinct as being Ireland’s largest county, the European capital of culture in 2005, possessing the second largest natural harbour in the world and the country’s two tallest buildings, yet there is little to let tourists know when they have entered the county, or indeed to welcome them to the wider south-west region. If nothing is done to rectify this anomaly then this large motorway project threatens to culturally homogenise the county. Other counties, Laois being a good example, have managed to install signs on the motorways from Dublin to Limerick and Cork notifying motorists of the county boundary, there is no reason why we can’t”. Meanwhile, the Green candidate also said the lack of proper signage on the M8 to Show people what is on offer in Fermoy would cause long-term Problems for the town, as it would lose considerable tourist traffic through carelessness, “We cannot presume that people will come through Fermoy when there is a direct road to Cork, therefore we cannot miss open goals like this and once again I will be pressuring the county council and the NRA to Get this sorted, or Else I may have to order the brown-signs off the sign-makers myself”. Separately, Adam Douglas echoed the sentiments of Green Party Ireland South European Election candidate, Senator Dan Boyle, who said that the proposal by the National Youth Council of Ireland, to lower the voting age for local and European elections to 16 years, is something that should be adopted. The Green candidate said following in the lead of Austria would be the quickest way to freshen up Politics, by enfranchising a new generation, who have been most affected by the failures of Politicians to date.-Douglas calls for M8 county border signs -Signage would Provide welcome and useful demarcation, says Green Thusday 28th May 2009
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy Town Council has welcomed Thursday’s visit of Party Leader John Gormley to the town, saying that it was a further sign of the commitment of his party to the resolution of the weir issue. During a day-long visit to Cork the Minister for the Environment honoured his promise to view the river itself and hear the concerns of the Rowing Club, as well as commenting that a major initiative in the soon to be published White Paper on Local Government, and the legislation that will follow that, will be the introduction of local referenda to decide matters of important local interest. Speaking in the aftermath of the visit and the minister’s comments, Adam Douglas, who coordinated the visit, said that the two events show a genuine attempt by the local Green organisation in finding an acceptable resolution, “The Minister, through the briefings I’ve been providing on the case, has been honest and realistic about this issue from the outset, and this has allowed our input into the issue to be of greater help than the attention-seeking stunts that the area’s established Politicians have been pulling over the last year. Headline-grabbing statements won’t deliver a solution that will see the retention of the weir, which is what the people of Fermoy desperately want. Over the next months, we will continue to work on the basis of less talk and more action. I believe this meeting feeds into a larger dialogue which has been shortcoming thus far”. “The Minister’s indication on local referenda is particularly welcome. The independent report by WhiteYoungGreen sets out three Alternatives in terms of river proposals. It could well be in a form similar to this that a decision is given to all locally affected residents through a direct Plebiscite. This would be the best sort of consultation one could wish for”. “I look forward to the early introduction of this legislation," Ireland South European Election candidate Senator Dan Boyle added. Meanwhile Mr Douglas warned that if any impropriety emerged with anyone linked to Fermoy Town Council regarding the release of the independent consultants' report, he would see to it that it was appropriately followed up, “It seems a strange coincidence that the report was released in the form it was and with its timing, on the morning of the Minister’s visit. If it emerges that this report was being used as a Political football then it raises some very serious questions over tenure”, he concluded.-Douglas responds to Ministerial visit -Gormley meeting ‘progressive’ says Green candidate
Friday 29th May 2009
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy has welcomed the launch of the his party’s Allotment and community garden plan. Amongst the Plans of Food Minister Trevor Sargent are ensuring development Plans include growing ground, and Guidelines and easier access in order to boost confidence in farmers’ markets. The former Green party leader said he was determined to encourage more Irish people to grow their own food. Speaking today, Adam Douglas said the proposals have plenty of scope for Fermoy, “Residents in the town have been raising this issue with me continuously and it’s great to see it being addressed. Many people remember their parents growing food in the garden, while others remember ‘plots’ or allotments in communities. There are many benefits to having Allotments on Public Ground. Anti-social behaviour is often reduced where tended Allotments are put in on waste ground. With the continued good work of the minister and the cooperation of the next mayor, Allotments can become a reality within walking distance of all Fermoy residents.” Minster Sargent also launched a ‘Best Practice for Farmers’ Markets’. New guidelines will include a green flag system to encourage higher standards at markets. The voluntary guidelines will focus on what a Farmers’ Market should be. If produce is to be identified as local, it must be grown either in the county of the market or in an Adjoining county. To signify the local Character of the market, at least 50% of the Produce on sale must qualify as being of local origin. The farmers’ market best practice flag will offer the Public a national Accreditation standard for their local Farmers’ Market. Stallholders will benefit from Greater confidence, local Pride and higher profile. “The organisers of Fermoy’s Sunday Market are to be applauded for the great job they’ve done in Advertising the event far and wide and achieving such consistently high traffic through the market. These initiatives aim to support the success achieved to date. I look forward to supporting these initiatives thoroughly if elected in Fermoy. “In the Past, local authority development Plans have often overlooked the necessary green Space to provide for Good growing ground. I will work to ensure Fermoy Town Council take into consideration and provide for green space to allow the community come together and grow their own food. I am hopeful that State bodies such as Teagasc, with their base in Moorepark, could Advise local authorities across the country on where to Place Plots and Gardens”, Mr Douglas concluded.-Allotments on the way to Fermoy Saturday 30th May 2009
The Green Party candidate for Fermoy has criticised the issuing of a letter by a Fine Gael Candidate to local businesses in the run up to this week’s vote, saying it was a cynical attempt to hoodwink the electorate. Speaking today, Adam Douglas said fellow candidate Patrick O’Driscoll’s Pro-business Proclamations weren’t credible, “This is a local, not a General Election, and as such it is little use pondering over a party’s national policy on an issue. A far more reliable indicator for voters is to look at a party’s record on business issues at a local level. O’Driscoll’s running-mate on the FG ticket, Aileen Pyne, voted for commercial rates rises as recently as Christmas, yet he was silent on the event at the time. He has also failed to declare that he won’t enter a pact with other councillors after the election, even though the pact system has led to the sort of decision-making paralysis that has been paramount to the damage done to the local economy”. “All I can say is that if Pa O’Driscoll continues along the same route as his FG Predecessors, one of large expenses claims and little value return for rates-payers, then all businesses will feel the brunt, no matter how many TDs he organises to visit the area”, he concluded.-Douglas slams O’Driscoll on eve of Election -Letter to businesses ‘a con’ says Green candidate Saturday 31st May 2009
Courtesy Open Web Design | Courtesy Dubai Apartments.biz
