CARRICKDALE PROTEST AGAINST WATER METERING AND TAXATION

A protest was held at the carrickdale hotel on Friday evening last against
water metering. Members of the People Before Profit Alliance in
Dundalk, Dublin T.D Clare Daly and unaffiliated citizens attended the
protest at the Carrickdale where councillors from around the country
were invited at a cost of E165 per head to hear speakers from private
water metering companies in the UK. The conference was organised by
TGR (Think to Grow Rich) seminars and was promoting water metering in
the run up to the introduction of such metering as well as the
household charge. Speakers included a public relations executive from
Severn Water.

People Before Profit Dundalk activists only heard about the conference on Thurday evening and were very happy that twenty people could organise to show resistance to the plans in such a short time frame. It was a last minute dot com scenario but we made
it out on time to show our resistance to charges that will certainly
be unbearable for many people in County Louth in the coming years.

In Germany the average cost of water is now E750 per annum, in the UK
it's E567. Water metering and privatisation happened in the UK in 1989
and within five years the costs to the public had multiplied by 64%
whilst at the same time the companies multiplied their profits by
150%. In the first five years of privatisation in the UK nearly 20,000
households had their water supplies cut off and sixteen water
companies were prosecuted 260 time for non-maintenance.

None of the money collected by water metering will go to
improving the water supply system as it is part of the IMF/ECB
memorandum of understanding originally signed by the FF/Green
coalition but since ratified again by the FG/Labour government.

Dundalk activists attended the national meeting against the household charge
and water tax in the teacher's club in Dublin on Saturday where
hundreds from all over the country were in attendance and it was agreed a national
campaign of resistance would soon commence.

Dundalk Fire Services under threat

People Before Profit activists in Dundalk have been investigating what exactly is happening with regards to local fireservices. It was reported quite a while ago in the local media that fire staff had been sent a letter by local council officials reminding them of their duty to be silent on the issue of reforms being planned for the fire station. Since then things have been silent and the public have been left in the dark.

What we have discovered over the last number of weeks is that council officials had originally proposed to reduce services, closing the station in the late evening and leaving the people of Dundalk without any local service. Fire personnel, passionate to keep a twenty four hour, seven day a week service, worked on a counter-proposal and have come up with a plan that would reduce costs and maintain a reasonable 24/7 service. One would have thought that this would settle the matter but we understand that a company from Scotland are presently carrying out an analysis of the service and although their report is not said to be definitive, one must wonder at the need for an expensive report when our own and best have already come up with cost cutting proposals that don't affect services.

Apart from the worry of cuts to our fire services, how the pubic have been excluded from the negotiations and indeed partitioned from any information on what's happening reflects a serious disrespect for their right to be involved in the planning of their own services. We have asked a number of councillor what's happening and they don't seem to know nor has anyone tried to involve them in the process.

Members of People Before Profit Dundalk have applied for all information regarding the fire services in Dundalk through the FOI process and will keep the public informed of developments. We also intend on lobbying the agents involved in the possible reforms and if necessary call for protest and acts of civil disobedience if the public continue to be excluded from the table and/or grapevine.

Dundalk people's call to arms; What are you doing on Tuesday evening?

A crucially important meeting of Dundalk town councillors and Louth County Councillors is scheduled to be held at Dundalk town hall on Tuesday next (16th August). This is an unusual meeting of councillors in that neither the County manager nor any of his staff will be in attendance. As such the councillors will be able to discuss the managers zoning recommendations for the lower point road area free from management pressures.

People Before Profit Dundalk, the Louth Environmental Group and concerned individuals are calling on citizens, environmentalists and residents who are worried about the managers crazy proposal to over develop the lower point road area, to gather at the doors of the town hall at 5.30 pm on Tuesday evening.Last week a similar but less well publicised vigil contributed towards councillors deciding not to adopt the recommendations until they had further information and petitions. This was a great success for the public gathered at the front door of the town hall and revealed the power of peaceful protest. This Tuesday's vigil is hoped to attract more people and will send a clear message to our local representatives that there must be no devlopement up to the boundaries of the waste sewage plant; There must be no further devlopement in an area over developed as it is; There must be no development which sees the removal of the only easily accessed open space and protected habitat in the area.

This zoning issue is unusually, something where the members makes the decision and not the manager. The people of Dundalk and most especially those on the Lower Point Road have an opportunity this coming Tuesday night to exercise their rights as citizens to petition their local representatives on serious matters such as these. Your attendance would be most welcomed and will no doubt contribute to the well informed and ethical future decision of our councillors. See you there, together we are strong.

Opposition to environmental vandalism on the point road, Dundalk

The Louth Environmental Group organised a silent vigil of protest at the main door of the town hall at 5.30pm on Tuesday the ninth of August last. The vigil was attended by members of People Before Profit Dundalk, concerned residents of the lower point road, environmentalists as well as members of LEG.

The purpose of the vigil was to focus the attention of members of our local Planning Authority, the councillors of Dundalk Town Council, on the issues around the proposal by the manager which would see, ultimately, as many as 200 more houses built in this highly ecologically sensitive area and the environs of Dundalk's sewage treatment plant.

Research carried out by LEG has established that there are several serious health and safety issues regarding living in close proximity to such plants. There is not as yet adequate research in the area that would justify placing residents into such unknown peril. Research that does exist suggests brain morphological changes in rats living in an environment with levels of hydrogen sulfide equal to that emitted by the Dundalk sewage plant (when there is a rotten odour smell).

Despite the fact that the meeting of our planning authority was held in secret (the secretary of the LEG Mr. Mark Fitszimmons was denied access by the chairperson of the council, Marianne Butler), the LEG has learned that the manager's recommendation to adopt the zonings which would permit the residential development was deferred by the councillors and the LEG understand that informal meetings of the councillors will be held to further brief themselves on the point road zoning matters before another formal planning meeting is held (hopefully not in secret) to finally decide the issue.

The LEG and the other participants at the vigil are extremely concerned that the manager will have his way and that the residential zonings will be confirmed for the lower point road lands in spite the obvious dangers.

We will keep you posted on further developments, together we are strong.

Full scale Garda investigation into planning irregularities in Dundalk

A full scale Garda investigation has been launched into possible planning irregularities in Dundalk, Co Louth. After a preliminary investigation, Gardaí have decided to launch a full investigation into allegations made by members of the Louth Environmental Group and People Before Profit Dundalk. No further details of the investigation can be given for legal reasons other than to confirm that members of both groups have been questioned for a second time by Gardai who are building the case.

Representatives from both Louth Environmental Group and People Before Profit Dundalk have stated they do not wish to comment on the investigation other than to say, 'having been provided with information regarding possible corruption and intimidation by named suspects, we went to the Gardai who have not only taken our information very seriously but have decided that what we reported is evidence enough to launch a full investigation. We are delighted at the Garda response and look forward to the outcome of the investigation'.
We will keep readers posted as this story develops.

Dundalk must have too much money!!!

Shocking revelations have emerged from research being carried out by People Before Profit Dundalk in partnership with the Louth Environmental Group. Whilst researching waste, corruption and complacency in local planning matters it has been discovered that officials in the town council refused an offer of E3.5 million Euro's to purchase wastelands behind St Nicholas's Avenue in Dundalk. The offer was made by a Dublin based business firm a number of years ago for a site just over three acres in size. This equates to over one million Euro's per acre, a generous offer by any standard. The site in question was zoned for recreation and amenities and the offering firm was planning to develope a super environmentally friendly community in the heart of Dundalk, taking it's energy needs from the Castletown river and providing start up businesses with free energy as well as many other benefits. It was intended that the offering firm would spend E200,000 to fill, lanscape and provide flood protection specifically for this site to leave it available as recreational and amenity, particulalry for children in the local area.

Nugent Estate agents wrote to Frank Pentony, the town clerk, in 2005/2006 highlighting the firms interest in buying the land and their willingness to pay a very good price. There was no response for a number of months. Nugents estate agents again wrote to Mr Pentony's office and eventually received a reply essentially telling them that there was no land for sale in Dundalk at the time. Similarly, in later negotiations regarding the overall environmentally positive community development, worth over E100,000,000, officials again broke off talks without good reason or cause. To this very day the Dublin business firm and Nugents estate agents cannot understand why they were firstly ignored and then rejected without explanation or reason.

It is important to note that the land in question is still lying idle and in fact is being used as an illegal dumping ground, with council officials refusing to take responsibility for the disgraceful build up of rubbish. The questions must be asked, did Frank Pentony even consult anyone on the offer of E3.5 million? Did he inform councillors of the offer (as far as we are aware he did not). Why did The town clerk's office firstly refuse to respond to the offer and then refuse the offer out point blank without discussions? Like so many other areas of planning and procedure, it appears that the unelected officials in Dundalk see themselves as a law unto themselves, able to reject offers beneficial to the townspeople without explanation or reason, and indeed without consultation with the council itself.

On a final point,it is also important to note that only recently the council approved the development of a super casino and ski slope north of Dundalk. This development is on a flood plain and in present economic circumstances may eventually wind up as a dead duck or white elephant. However, a development offering high tech, affordable and environmentally sustainable living for many people in Dundalk has been rejected without good cause, reason or explanation. People Before Profit Dundalk will continue with our inquiries into this matter but will also soon publish a detailed article exploring the possibilities of the proposed environmentally sustainable community planned by the Dublin based firm. When contacted by people Before profit Dundalk a director of the firm confirmed that they are still willing, even in the light of how they have been mistreated by the management in our local authorities, to proceed with the much needed development.

Breaking news Dundalk

Complaint by PBPD & LEG to An Garda Siochana in respect of Planning and Land dealing irregularities in and around Dundalk.

Friday 15th April 2011

Members of People before Profit Dundalk and Louth Environmental Group acting in common cause today lodged a formal complaint with An Garda Siochana in respect of irregularities with the planning and land dealing procedures in Dundalk and Environs.

The Members felt obliged to take this drastic step because efforts by the two groups to introduce an element of transparency and accountability to the conduct of the public’s business in planning decisions and in the spending of public funds by various Council officials have failed dismally, with the shroud of secrecy which surrounds many such dealings remaining firmly in place.

The formal complaint centred on:-

• Fraud
• Intimidation
• Extortion
• Abuse of Statutory Power(s)
• Breach of Statutory Duty.

The Members were impressed with the level of competence shown by the Garda detective who has been appointed by the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana to conduct its initial enquiries. In the course of the interview, which lasted over two hours, a broad outline of the irregularities was given to the investigative detective by the Members of the two groups, with specific reference to specific incidents and the two groups await the outcome of the preliminary Garda enquiries with deep interest.

To be continued.