Minister for Justice Alan Shatter’s announcement that seven Garda Stations will close in Cork City,

Cllr  Kennenth O’Flynn has labeled the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter’s announcement that seven Garda Stations will close in Cork City, along with a reduction in opening hours of six other stations across the city, as ‘One of most cowardly and cynical attacks that he has undertaken since he took office’.

The Stations to close under the proposed Garda District and Station Consolidation Programme are in the Mallow Road, McCurtain Street, Barrack Street, Rathduff, Ballinspittle, Adrigole, and Meelin.

Councillor O’Flynn stated that ‘The Minister has attempted to use the cover of the budget to continue his slash and burn policy of the Garda Siochána and in the meantime our problems with crime in the city continue to get worse and worse. There is almost no words to describe the type of cynicism that is at play here.  In the hope that the budget would deflect attention away from these cuts the Minister announced on the morning of budget day one of the most significant reductions in Garda resources that will see a total of one hundred Garda Stations closed from the first six months of next year. These reductions will not go unnoticed in the areas affected across the Northside and indeed the whole of the city.’    

‘Minister Shatter continues to use the words consolidation and rationalisation to describe these measures as the best way of tackling crime. The reality is that a total of 27 permanent Garda personal will be removed from the areas announced and in doing so will take a vital physical police presence away that is crucial to reducing crime in the city ’

‘A further measure to be introduced will see six Garda Stations have their opening hours radically reduced. These include, Mayfield, Gurranabraher, Glanmire, Bridewell, Watercourse Road, and Togher.  Unfortunately this means that vulnerable people in these areas will not have a Garda Station open after 9pm at night. There is very piece of mind for those who stay awake fearful that they will again be on the end of anti social behavior.’

‘The Minster is taking the wrong approach to achieving the savings necessary in his department and instead the Government should be looking at the wider public sector pay and pensions bill  from high earning public servants to the deficit. Fianna Fail has instead called on the Minister to lift the ban on Garda recruitment.’

Phony Text messages need to be dealt with’ says Cllr. O’Flynn.

The greeting congratulating you on winning a major prize worth thousands of euro is something that mobile phone users have become all too familiar with. According to Cllr Kenneth O’Flynn Meteor customers have in the past number of weeks become increasingly plagued by these bogus messages claiming they have won a substantial cash prize. 

The City Councillor explained that ‘A number of my constituents who use the Meteor phone service have in recent weeks contacted me about this problem. They are telling me that they have been receiving text messages claiming that they have won up to €500,000 in prizes relating to a scheme in the Netherlands. To receive the phoney prize all they have to do is divulge there bank details.’ 

Cllr O’Flynn contacted Meteor about the problem but says ‘The response I got was that they were aware of such issues and the best thing to do is to delete the message straight away.’

The Fianna Fail Councillor is unhappy with this and suggests that a lot more should be done to try and protect customers personal data. ‘We are being told by the phone companies that there is very little they can do. The amount of money that customers spend yearly on topping up either there pay as you go or bill phone contracts is massive and they deserve to have their information looked after in return. I believe that phone companies like Meteor and others should be taking greater steps to protect its one million customers from being targeted like this.’

Cllr O’Flynn stressed the impact these intrusions could have ‘It is very disturbing to know that someone, somewhere, has your details and is able to reach you in this way. It is extremely worrying for the person who uses there mobile phone to access their online banking or download items over the inherent. Likewise the elderly person who would not use their phone as frequently may unknowingly keep these messages stored in there inbox for a long time and there data could therefore be at further risk of being tampered with illegally.’

Cllr O’ Flynn is asking the users to report any messages they receive ‘Under the Electronic Privacy regulations this is a clear breach of our Data protection laws. The Data Protection Commissioners office has informed me of similar cases that they have investigated regarding unsolicited messages. I would urge customers who are being annoyed by these scams to report this to the Data Protection Commissioner immediately and for them to give the matter serious attention.’

The North side Councillor insisted that this is just another type of fraudulent behaviour ‘Whether it is someone ringing your landline, sending messages on your mobile or calling to your door posing as someone they are not,  it is all fraud and should be taken equally as serious.’

Community Funding Boost for the North Side

Community organisations across the North side of the City will receive a massive boost with the confirmation that a series of funding of over forty thousand euro will be granted. The funding, ranging from €350 to €6,000, was announced at a recent meeting of Cork City Council’s Community Development Committee.

  The funding approved by the committee and totalling €63,638 will go towards the upgrading and refurbishment of 14 community premises as well as a continuation of the summer play scheme. The funding follows a further €142,000 which was approved by the Development Committee last August. The approval of this funding has been welcomed all round. Speaking about the announcement leading North side Councillor Kenneth O’Flynn said ‘I am delighted that Cork City Council has continued to support this vital work with a further granting of funds. The work done by these voluntary organisations in helping the community cannot be underestimated and I am pleased that despite a significant reduction in the Councils budget we are still able to support these projects.’

The Fianna Fail Councillor particularly welcomed the Community Development grants for the Farranree Summer School and the surrounding the area. Councillor O’Flynn went on to say that ‘The works for the Farranree community centre will see a number of repairs to the both the inside and outside of the building. Furthermore over €6,000 will be allocated for the Farranree Summer Play Scheme. This is a great resource for parents and children and will run from the 3^rd to the 27^th of July.’

Councillor O’Flynn also had words of praise for improvements in areas such as Blarney Street and Shandon ‘The physical work that will be carried for groups such as the Blarney Street Community association will see the final phase of repair projects on gates, railings and play centres being completed but it is also important to mention that support for events such as the Shandon Street festival will give a huge boost to lifting the community spirit and local economy.’

Councillor O’Flynn thanked the community groups for their continued commitment to such worthy causes ‘It is always astounds me to see the commitment of the volunteers in the area and the community centres. There is always some activity for people to enjoy be it for senior citizens or the promotion of the summer camps for children and long may it continue.’

End Statement

‘Minster can release the burden of consumers with Card - Purchase Scheme’ O’Flynn

‘Minster can release the burden of consumers with Card - Purchase Scheme’ O’Flynn

Councillor Kenneth O’Flynn is calling on The Minister for Finance to give support to a new measure that he hopes will take the burden of rising expenses off the Irish consumer by giving them the chance to pay for items they purchase through an instalment purchase scheme with the use of a simple card. The Fianna Fail councillor stated ‘I am proposing that a new banking card should be made available to consumers that allows for products to be purchased and then paid for through a number of instalments over a period of three months with 0% interest.

Councillor O’Flynn added that this should be done in partnership with Irish banks that are under state ownership  ‘This is about asking the banks that the Irish taxpayer bailed out, and is picking up the tab for, to give something back to the struggling retailer and consumer.’

The North side councillor explained  ‘I believe this could go a long way in giving the hard pressed consumer an opportunity to make significant savings on their expenditure, while also giving retailers a chance to build a much needed customer base.’ Councillor O’Flynn outlined how ‘Recent CSO figures show an annual decrease of 2.7% in the volume of retail sales, with hardware, textiles, clothing and footwear being particularly effected’ 

Councillor O’Flynn says that this initiative is something tried and tested ‘This kind of option is available when paying for electricity, gas and other household costs, in fact various reed card systems have been tried in other countries and have proven very successful. Moreover I think it is time that something similar should be introduced along the lines of groceries and other products. 

  Councillor O’Flynn is asking the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan to consider this ‘I am calling on the Minister for Finance to look at this and seriously consider implementing an instalment purchase scheme as a means of giving the weekly shopper a lifeline. I will be writing to him personally to act on this and furthermore I will be calling on Cork City Council to support my proposal.’

The City Councillor who recently had three motions opposing government decisions passed by Cork City Council will be hoping for the same outcome.

Household Bulky Goods

Ballyvolane

A Chara,

Cork City Council has informed me that a special collection of household bulky goods will take place in the Ballyvolane area on Tuesday the 12^th of June between the hours of 8.00am and 3.00pm.

 All bulky goods are requested to be brought to the skip located opposite 3 Ashgrove lawn.

Each household should have received official notification by letter from Cork City Council. It is important that you bring this letter with you to ensure your items are accepted.

The full list of items that can and cannot be accepted are outlined below.

If I can be of any assistance to you or your family please do not hesitate to contact me.

Acceptable items	Materials not accepted
Bicycles	Cardboard or newsappers
Carpets/viny/rugs	Cast Iron Baths
Electrical/ White Goods	Construction & demolition  waste, hazardous waste, oil, paints or batteries
Furniture tables, chairs, beds mattresses	Domestic refuse
Large Toys or Sports equipment	Fireplaces, fencing or gates
Old Doors or presses (without glass)	Garden or green waste hazardous
Sanitary ware excluding (cast Iron baths)	Any materials appropriate or would fit into a wheel bin

 

Tackling Cork City Centre Office Vacancy

 Background
The occurrence of significant vacancy levels in commercial properties in the City Centre hassignificant negative consequences from an economic, community and visual perspective for the City

Council and indeed the City generally. There is currently over 300,000 sq ft of advertised vacantoffice space (above 1500 sq ft) in the City Centre. Added to this the ELUS 2011 shows that the rateof employment loss in the City has been most acute in the City Centre with the loss of 3,502 people and so targeted action needs to be prioritized in this area.
Attracting employment, economic activity and footfall to the City Centre would add to its vibrancyand attractiveness, in turn changing perceptions and helping with the broader objective of marketingand promotion of Cork.

This increased footfall would also drive spin off spending in the city centre’s
shops, entertainment and leisure facilities increasing demand for these services. It is important tonote that the multiplier effect into the local economy from job creation in the City Centre is more intense the closer you are to the core. Finally, the use of buildings removes the risk of dereliction nd visual degradation, and this is very much consistent with the Council’s marketing objectives for the City.

The introduction of a targeted project to tackle an aspect of City Centre vacancy would be inkeeping with the Council’s role as a development agency as well as promoting the interests of the community. The adoption of this pro-active initiative would demonstrate the City Council’s commitment to be a key driver in supporting and attracting economic activity and employment creation. The demonstration of democratic leadership in this manner is particularly important in thecurrent economic climate.

The Approach

The City’s character, both architectural and commercial, is largely derived from the older buildingson key streets in the City Centre, many of which are Protected Structures. On South Mall forexample there are 35 Protected Structures representing 42% of the entire building stock on the street. These buildings are therefore considered worthy of special attention and protection. As such their long term contribution from both a commercial and heritage perspective should be prioritised.While the issue of vacancy in the City Centre affects both newer and older buildings the impacts of vacancy on older heritage buildings is more significant as they need to be maintained and remain in use to ensure their survival and avert the unfortunate tide of dilapidation and ultimate dereliction.
Reversal of the problem of dereliction in heritage buildings is also more costly and challenging whichjustifies a more proactive response early on. As a result it is recommended that this pilot schemefocus on addressing the issue of commercial vacancy in key protected heritage buildings across the City Centre.

 In this way no one area or business sector is prioritised above another allowing for a
universal application of the scheme across this important building stock in the City Centre.

The Scheme

The scheme, as proposed, would comprise the following:

• A capital building improvement grant of up to €15,000 would be given to each qualifying

Protected Structure as part funding to encourage owners to invest in these important
buildings and make them more attractive to the market. Qualifying works would include theexternal fabric of the building but might also include the upgrade of telecommunications in the building, fire safety improvements, energy efficiency measures and other works deemed essential to assist in upgrading and future proofing the building. A fund of €45,000 has been allocated towards this project in the Conservation Budget for 2012. If deemed to be successful consideration will be given to continuing this scheme on an annual basis.


• If refurbishment takes place and the owner succeeds in renting the upgraded commercial space the City Council will apply a grant in lieu of rates waiver on a sliding scale over threeyears to further incentivise the owner and importantly provide an incentive to the end user.

o In year 1 a 50% grant in lieu of rates waiver would be applied
o In year two a 35% grant in lieu of rates waiver would be applied
o In year 3 a 15% grant in lieu of rates waiver would be applied
o From year 4 onwards full rates would apply

• If refurbishment is undertaken and it requires planning permission no development
contributions will apply as these buildings are not liable for the charge under the City
Council’s current Development Contribution Scheme.The committee are requested to recommend that An Chomhairle note the capital grant scheme for Protected Structures (which is provided for in the 2012 budget) and resolve to approve the grant inlieu of rates waiver incentive scheme as outlined above. The detail of the terms of qualifying worksetc will then be set out and the scheme will be advertised and rolled out.

Cllr O’Flynn calls one Buy Irish Label

Cllr Kenneth O’Flynn is looking for Cork City Council to lead the way in transforming the way Cork food and indeed Irish food is promoted. The Fianna Fail councillor believes that in order to increase the sales of indigenous made food there should be one generic food label to show that the produce is of Irish origin. Cllr O’Flynn argues that ‘At the moment there is up to five different labels on products indicating that they are sourced or produced in Ireland. What I am proposing is that all these brands would come under one standard label to make it easier for shoppers to locate Irish owned brands and above support indigenous businesses.’

Cllr O’Flynn said this is something that both consumers and shop owners would react positively to. O’Flynn points out that ‘Research has shown that consumers much prefer this option and are much more likely to buy Irish brands when there is one single, clear, colour coded label to show this’ ‘I am aware of the knock on effect this would have for maintaining employment in the City. For every Irish produce on the shelf there is a minimum of five jobs being supported. This can be traced from start to finish, from the making of the product, to the packaging and delivering, to person who stocks it on the shelves.’ According to the Northside Councillor the groundwork has already been laid for such a program ‘A number of successful pilot schemes in Dublin and Cork have already been carried out. I have placed a motion before Cork City Council asking them to support this initiative and get as many super markets involved in Cork as possible. Furthermore I want to see Cork City Council launch an annual campaign to promote both Irish food and encourage shoppers to shop locally.’ Last year the Food and Agricultural sector contributed €24 billion to the national economy and employed more than 150, 000 people with further growth expected into 2012. The Northside councillor concluded ‘We have some of the best food in the world, it is time we start using it to all our advantages.’ Ends

O’ Flynn encourages all to get out and Vote

Cork City Councillor Kenneth O’Flynn is encouraging all citizens to make sure they vote on the upcoming referendum on the European stability Treaty. The referendum on the European Union Fiscal compact Treaty will take place on the 31st of May.
Cllr O’ Flynn stated ‘Whether you are voting yes or no I am encouraging all voters to use there democratic right and get out and vote on the 31st of May.
This referendum will be one of the most important in the country’s history and it is vital that voters make sure they have their say.
‘I will be personally mounting a campaign in support of the treaty. I believe that the future of Euro is at stake and a No vote would see further uncertainty spread across the Euro zone. I recognise the need for greater economic stability and hope that by ratifying this treaty we will see the necessary fiscal budgetary measures introduced that will prevent the reoccurrence of any further debt crisis’.

Cllr O’ Flynn reiterated the importance of those who are currently not registered to vote of getting on the supplement register.
‘I would also like to remind all those entitled to vote that if you are not yet registered there is still time to be included on the supplementary register. The deadline for this is the 14th of May. Anybody who wishes to avail of this can make an application to their local authority. Application forms are available from the registration authority or can alternatively be downloaded at checktheregister.ie’
However Cllr Flynn did criticise the government for the Treaty being held on a week day.

‘Having the Treaty on Thursday will mean a whole group of people will be disenfranchised. Students as well as people working or living away from home will find it very difficult to get out and vote.’
Ends

2012 SPORTS CAPITAL PROGRAMME ONLINE APPLICATION

http://www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie/scp2012/home


Deadlines for applications

Online applications and those made in Irish (and hard copy of the signed application form and all supporting documentation) must reach the Department by 5pm on Friday 1st June 2012. We cannot accept supporting documentation by email or online.
Paper based applications (and all supporting documentation) must reach the Department by 5pm on Friday 11th May 2012.

Address:
2012 Sports Capital Programme Applications
Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
New Road
Killarney
Co. Kerry

PAINTING GRANT SCHEME 2012 GRANTS FOR THE SHANDON STREET AREA AND NORTH MAIN STREET

Applications are invited for the Painting Grant Scheme
2012. The aim of the painting grant scheme is to
improve the character and appearance of historic
areas of Cork City and to make them more attractive
to live and do business in.
The 2012 scheme targets the Shandon Street area and
North Main Street Architectural Conservation Area.
The area in which properties are eligible to apply
includes: Shandon Street; North Main Street; South
Main Street; and Castle Street, amongst others. A map
can be seen on the website [see address below].
Grants are available to assist owners and occupiers of
premises with the cost of undertaking painting work
necessary to improve building elevations fronting onto
the street in the defined area. Premises can be
commercial or mixed residential/commercial. The level
of funding available is up to 50% of the total cost of
eligible works, and up to a maximum value of €600
per building. Alternatively, if labour is provided by the
applicant then 100% of the cost of materials would be
met by a grant up to a maximum of €300.
The closing date for receipt of completed applications
is Friday, 27th April 2012 and qualifying applicants
will have until Friday, 31st August 2012 to submit a
payment claim to the Council under the Scheme.
Grant allocations are made on a competitive basis
and applications must be supported by competitive
quotations from tax compliant contractors / suppliers.
Details of the scheme and application forms may be
obtained from the City Councils website, or the
Planning Policy Section, Strategic Planning and
Economic Development Directorate, Cork City Council,
City Hall, Cork:
www.corkcity.ie/services/planningdevelopment/
grantsschemesincorkcity
Phone: (021) 4924757 / Fax: (021) 4924712
Email: planningpolicy@corkcity.ie
Pat Ledwidge, Director of Services,
Strategic Planning & Economic Development.
Tuesday, 27th March

Applications are invited for the Architectural Conservation Area (ACA) Grant Scheme 2012.

City Centre to Blackpool, and includes: the North Main Street ACA; the Shandon Street area the Blackpool,Gerard Griffin Street, GreatWilliam O’Brien Street and Thomas Davis Street area.



Cork City has 32 ACAs. The City Council has allocated
funds to assist the owners or occupiers of historic
buildings in the “scheme area 2012” to undertake
works necessary to secure their conservation. The level
of funding available is up to 50% of the total cost of
eligible works, and up to a maximum value of
€10,000 per building. The scheme is not intended to
assist in carrying out routine maintenance, alterations
or improvements. The scheme does not apply to works
begun before the commencement of the scheme.
The scheme area extends along Cork’s “historic spine”
from the City Centre to Blackpool, and includes: the
North Main Street ACA; the Shandon Street area
[forming part of the Shandon ACA] and the Blackpool
ACA, which includes Gerard Griffin Street, Great
William O’Brien Street and Thomas Davis Street. A
map of the defined area can be found on the website.
The closing date for receipt of completed applications
is Friday, 11th May 2012 and qualifying applicants
will have until Friday, 9th November 2012 to submit a
payment claim to the Council under the Scheme. The
fund is limited and grant allocations are made on a
competitive basis. Applications must be supported by
competitive quotations from tax compliant contractors.
Details of the scheme and application forms may be
obtained from the Planning Policy Section, Strategic
Planning and Economic Development Directorate,
Cork City Council, City Hall, Cork, or by the following
means:
www.corkcity.ie/services/planningdevelopment/
grantsschemesincorkcity
Email: conservation@corkcity.ie
Phone: (021) 4924757 / Fax: (021) 4924712
Pat Ledwidge, Director of Services,
Strategic Planning & Economic Development.
Tuesday, 27th March 2012