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Mick Barry
SOCIALIST Party councillor Mick Barry has said that city councillors should refuse to pass a new council-inspired action plan for the Blackpool village area until “such time as the council’s planning department is prepared to outline a hard hitting plan of campaign to tackle dereliction in the historic village”.
Cork City Council will be asked to pass the Blackpool Village Area Action Plan next Monday, Sept 13, at the first meeting of the council since the summer recess.
Chris O'Leary
SINN Féin has increased their numbers on Cork City Council to five representatives following the announcement by independent councillor Chris O’Leary that he is joining the party.
Cllr O’Leary has been a member of Cork City Council since 2003 when he was elected as a Green Party candidate. He stood as a European candidate for the party in 2004 and also in the General Election in 2007 in Cork North Central but was unsuccessful.
VAT on local authority services comes into effect today (July 1) across the state and will hit users of council services to the tune of tens of millions of euro according to Socialist Party councillor Mick Barry.
“Across the state 21 per cent VAT will now apply to wheelie bins, road tolls, car removals, library internet access, library photocopying, waste collection bags, off street car parking, council photocopying, festivals where alcohol is sold and other services. Here in Cork multi-storey car parking charges will be hiked by 20 cent per hour.
SOCIALIST Party councillor Mick Barry this morning criticised plans outlined by City Manager Joe Gavin to increase charges in the councils’ multi-storey car parks by 20 cent per hour from July this year. The plans are due to come before tonight’s meeting of Cork City Council.
The City Manager’s plans come in the wake of a European Court of Justice ruling that Ireland’s local authorities must pay VAT on services in which they are or might be in competition with private sector service providers.
However, Cllr Barry said this morning that the funds to pay the Revenue Commissioners should be raised by pursuing developers and “big business” interests for unpaid bills rather than increasing charges.
Mick Barry
TODAY’S meeting of Cork City Council will debate a motion instructing the City Manager to break off negotiations with the HSE on the use of lands at St Mary’s Orthopaedic Hospital, Gurranabraher, for use as town centre facilities.
Socialist Party councillor Mick Barry’s motion reads: “Cork City Council instructs the City manager to immediately break off negotiations with the HSE on the use of lands at St Mary’s Orthopaedic Hospital, Gurranabraher, for town centre facilities. Council believes that HSE lands should be used for public health service facilities only and that health service facilities should be expanded at St Mary’s.”
