Category: News

IT IS that time of year again – children are back at school, good intentioned individuals are joining gyms and the members of Clare County Council are discussing hedges.

Cllr Oliver Garry (FG) admitted that the issue arrives every year, as it still has to be resolved completely.

The West Clare councillor said that at previous meetings it was proposed to contact farming organisations and forestry groups to try and progress matters in this area.

“Could the Director of Services report to the members of the progress that’s being made, as this is a serious road safety matter all over the county?” he asked.

Under Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993, landowners and occupiers are responsible for trees and hedgerows on or inside their boundaries adjacent to public roads, and Clare County Council are the authority with the responsibility to ensure that public roads are kept free of obstructions which include overgrown hedgerows and verges.

There remains a grey area around issues of removed corners, hedges originating inside a boundary wall and growing on to the public are and roads with stone walls as margins.

Director of Services Ann Haugh confirmed, “Discussions have been held with the Irish Farmers Association and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association regarding the need for cooperation from landowners in terms of their responsibility.

“While landowners do have some concerns, the discussions were constructive and a response is presently awaited from both organisations. This response is expected within the next couple of weeks,” she said.

“We are hoping that the two organisations will come on board with the council and the gardaí in a public relations strategy with a view to being in a position to work constructively with landowners in the public interest.

“Equally I would hope that the debate pursuant to this of motion would generate constructive publicity to assist in persuading landowners to work in co-operation with the council and the gardaí on the matter.”

Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) raised some concerns that some of the letters sent out to landowners “seems quiet threatening”. He said they were not responsible for a hedge that grows over their wall.

Cllr Tom McInerney said very little progress has been made on the issue to date.

“I think it is very unfair to hold farmer responsible for hedges growing outside their walls.”

He questioned the fairness of people in rural Ireland paying the same charges as people in urban Ireland, who have footpaths outside their homes, and are then expected to cut hedges.

A MEMBER of Clare County Council has called for all surplus lands from the development of the Crusheen by-pass to be sold back to local landowners to prevent its use as “illegal encampments”.

Cllr Joe Arkins (FG) asked the Director for Service for Transportation to liaise with Galway County Council on the issue. He asked that “any portions of land acquired for the Crusheen by- pass, which were not completely used in the course of construction of the bypass” be sold back to local landowners, “rather than having them available for use as illegal encampments”.

“We cannot have people moving into the area upsetting people, farmers and the local community,” he said, adding that people who set up such encampments “should be taken to task”.

Supporting the motion Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said that there have been similar problems on the Ennis bypass.

MAKING sense of the “Personal Insolvency Bill” and how it will impact on “ordinary people” will be central to a public seminar being organised by Clare MABS and Citizens Information Service.

The seminar will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) in the Temple Gate Hotel Ennis from 9.45am.

The new personal insolvency regime including the reform of bankruptcy law will, in addition to providing new legal remedies, provide a significant incentive for financial institutions to develop and implement realistic agreements to resolve debt issues with their customers.

Legal rights group FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) gave a mixed reaction during the weekend to the Government’s launch of a new independent financial advice scheme for distressed mortgage holders, saying it raised many questions.

The scheme, launched by Social Protection Minister Joan Burton on Thursday, will allow mortgage holders in arrears to receive a free consultation with an accountant, paid for by the banks, on their situation. However, FLAC, expressed serious concerns about how the scheme will operate.

FLAC senior policy researcher Paul Joyce, who will adress the seminar in Ennis, said, “While FLAC welcomes any and all measures that will assist people in mortgage crisis, this scheme contains many holes from our perspective. If this scheme is meant to be implementing the Keane Report’s 2011 recommendations, it certainly falls far short of what was recommended back then.

“Where is the initial team of 100 advisors with financial, accounting and legal skills that would liaise with MABS?”

The new arrangement was launched as part of the three-point Mortgage Arrears Information and Advice Service, itself part of the Government’s four-pronged ‘Action Plan on Mortgage Debt’. However, FLAC said the action plan as revealed to date lacks coherence and transparency.

Paul Woulfe, Manager with the Citizens Information Centre in Clare, said, “The Mortgage Arrears Information Helpline, which has been operational since July, provides general mortgage arrears information and guidance to mortgage holders in particular those borrowers who are in arrears or pre-arrears on their residential property. The helpline also refers calls to other services such as the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, free legal aid centres and other relevant services. The helpline number is 0761 07 4050, Monday to Friday 9.30am-5pm.”

Other contributors include Dennis Corbett, Co-ordinator with Clare MABS, who will outline the role of the organisation in managing the Debt Relief Orders and David Williams, JW Williams and Co, who will outline The UK Experience and Personal Insolvency Arrangements. The seminar is free and is open to everyone. To register call 0761 075260 or email ennis@citinfo.ie.

THE enduring success story that is Ennis’ involvement with the National Tidy Towns competition is all down to the spirit of partnership in the county capital that producing consistently impressive results in the competition, year in year out.

That was the verdict delivered Mayor of Ennis, Cllr Peter Considine at the Helix on Monday as the county town was named the country’s Tidiest Large Urban Centre for the fourth time in seven years.

Since winning the overall national title in 2005 – only Clare’s second outright victory and first since Mountshannon on 1981 in the 54year history of the event – Ennis has won the Tidiest Large Urban Centre in 2006, 2007, 2009 and now 2012.

In hailing this latest achievement, Mayor Considine said Ennis’ award successes could not have been accomplished without the support of community groups, schools, residents associations, businesses and State agencies, in partnership with Ennis Town Council.

“This competition provides members of the local community with the opportunity to showcase their pride in their respective towns and villages,” he told The Clare People on Monday.

“The year-round work that has been put in by the Tidy Towns Committee and wider community has reaped dividends. It is evident from Ennis’ outstanding success in this year’s competition that the spirit of volunteerism and pride of place is very much alive in the county capital,” added Mayor Considine.

“These award successes mark the culmination of months of hard work by local volunteers and members of the Ennis Tidy Towns Committee to improve the appearance of the town and its environs,” said the chairperson of the Ennis Tidy Towns Committtee, Áine Purcell.

“The volunteers toiled throughout the summer months in various public areas to create and maintain flowerbeds, keeps streets tidy, cut grass and pick up litter. Retaining the Gold Medal also is a massive achievement for everybody concerned in Ennis,” she added.

Ennis town clerk Leonard Cleary noted that the Tidy Towns awards are the result of a collaborative effort by the local community and the business sector in Ennis.

“Despite the huge volume of people that live in and visit Ennis, this large town has successfully managed to retain its unique heritage charm and tidy appearance,” Mr Cleary said.

“This has been achieved through the combined efforts of residents and the business community, in conjunction with various regional and Government bodies, to enhance the town’s appearance,” he added.

THE Tidy Towns committee in Kilrush has expressed disappointment with its rate of improvement in this year’s competition, even though the west Clare capital had the distinction of winning a Gold Medal for the sixth successive year.

This disappointment was sounded out by Tidy Towns chairperson Paul Edson, who while expressing delight at the town’s latest Gold Medal achievement said that the failure to make the “big leap forward” they were looking for will concentrate minds over the next year.

“Our primary hope was that we would continue with the progress that we have made over the last number of years by winning gold,” said Mr Edson. “We did that and it is a huge achievement for us to win a Gold Medal for sixth year in a row. We are delighted and over the moon about retaining that medal, because it gets harder and harder every year. We are still there and we are hanging on to our gold medal and that’s great.

“We had an increase of one part from last year. We are slightly disappointed with that. We are happy to be moving forward, but we felt that the amount of work and effort that we put in actually deserved more than a one mark increase. We are going through the report to see what areas we need to improve on,” he added.

And, in making his comments about Kilrush’s overall mark of 304 points, Mr Edson said that the goal going forward remains becoming the third centre in the county – after Mountshannon and Ennis – to win the overall national title.

“Unfortunately we haven’t made a big leap forward,” he said. “We felt that with the amount of work and effort we put in during the year would deserve more than one extra mark. It wasn’t to be, so we have to look at the adjudicators report and redouble our efforts next year and come back fighting.

“Our next job is try to understand why we only collected one extra mark and why we didn’t do better for the amount of improvements that we did. Look at Moore Street for instance. Unfortunately we didn’t get any recognition from the judges for the work that was done on Moore Street. There’s no comment on those improvements.

“We feel we need to make a big song and dance about the work that we have done. We will review where the adjudicator has made his points and come back stronger next year. We want to win that overall award,” he added.

RESIDENTS of the Beechpark estate in Ennis have not seen any improvement in local services in almost 35 years as Clare County Council was forced to spend a “huge amount of resources” on a nearby Traveller accommodation site.

The contrast in spending was highlighted at yesterday’s meeting of councilors in the Ennis West Electoral Area.

Cllr Tony Mulqueen (FG) told the meeting that there are 22 houses in Beechpark.

He said one of the residents has lived there for 32 years and has not seen any investment to solve problems with street lighting, footpaths and potholes.

Cllr Mulqueen added that in that same period the council has spent huge resources on maintenance and security costs at the nearby Beechpark Traveller accommodation site, which was the subject of arson attacks in 2010.

Cllr Mulqueen was also critical of the National Roads Authority whom he said had failed to carry out repairs to the estate entrance following work on the N85 Western Relief Road.

He was speaking on a motion tabled by Cllr James Breen (Ind). Cllr Breen called on the council to finish and take over the Beechpark estate “in view of the fact that the council has drawn down the bond for close to 30 years”.

Cllr Breen told the meeting that it was his information that had a bond had been drawn down.

However, in her response, Helen Quinn, Senior Executive Planner, explained that a review of the bond database has been carried out and there is no record of a bond having been drawn for this development. Ms Quinn stated that the council is currently reviewing all planning applications that relate to the development to establish if the bond was attached to any element of the site.

She continued, “From the planning files that have been reviewed thus far, which includes the original applications dating back to 1976, 1977, it is noted that no bond conditions were attached. (It is noted that such conditions were attached re: the payment of contributions towards the expenditure being occurred by the council in improving the public water supply in the area to facilitate the development.)

She added, “However it is also noted that the majority of houses appear to have been developed by each individual owner as opposed to a developer. The development is not therefore a development in the conventional sense but a group of individual houses developed by owners of individual sites. The council will examine the history further to ascertain what is the appropriate course of action.”

Town Manager Ger Dollard said the introduction of household and septic tank charges has led residents to demand services from local authorities.

He said there are a number of estates across Clare in a similar situation to Beechpark.

The meeting heard that the council would raise the matter with the NRA.

THE Ennis Town Manager has defended Ennis Town Council’s record of investment in amenity facilities following criticisms over the Post Office Field.

Ger Dollard was speaking yesterday in response to comments made Cllr James Breen (Ind). In a motion tabled at the September meeting of councillors in the Ennis West Electoral area, Cllr Breen called on the council and the county manager “to take immediate steps to develop the Post Office Field at Bank Place and Bindon Street into a community area”.

Cllr Breen said the field is a “marvelous amenity” in the heart of the town that has been underused and underdeveloped for decades.

In his response, town clerk Leonard Cleary stated that the Post Office Field is a major natural resource for the town centre. “It is rich in wildlife and natural heritage. It offers significant potential for appropriate development. Previously the resource was considered as a proposed site for series of different functions. The issue of resources is key in moving any project forward. The Ennis Hub Town Strategy is currently being drafted by Ennis Town Council after considerable community consultation as part of the Ennis 2020 visioning exercise with University of Limerick,” he said.

“The hub strategy indicates strong support for the development of the post office field as an amenity area. It also presents this type of project as an opportunity for the town to re-orientate towards the great River Fergus resource, which bounds the field. A key challenge in implementing this action in the hub strategy regarding the post office field relates to the available financial resources. Any future proposals for the Post Office Field will in the first instance need to be considered by the elected members of Ennis Town Council.”

The field had been put forward as the site for a new library but the project was abandoned due to a lack of funding.

Mr Dollard said a consensus should be established about the future of the field. However he warned that it would be “a number of years before we have funds available to use”.

Cllr Breen said such a timescale was “unacceptable”, adding that it did not “argue” well for what Ennis Town Council had been doing at times when resources were available for the development of the field.

Mr Dollard said the Council invested hugely in amenities in Ennis, citing the money spent on Lees Road and Tim Smyth Park.

Town Engineer Eamon O’Dea told the meeting that field had only come into the ownership of the council within the last 10 years.

MOTORISTS and residents are “giving out stink” about ongoing roadworks in Spancillhill, a meeting has heard.

In a motion tabled at a meeting of councillors in the Ennis East Electoral Area, Cllr Sonny Scanlan (FG) asked when the “Spancilhill Road will be completed and re-opened as it causing a lot of anger and inconvenience to the residents”.

Cllr Scanlan told the meeting that he had received numerous complaints from people on the area “giving out stink about how long it is taking to finish the road”.

He said people are also giving out about the council. Senior engineer Tom Tiernan admitted that the “inconvenience that has been caused is regrettable”. He explained, “A number of issues have combined to create this situation – drainage management complexities, rock removal, the gradual erosion in a number of available staff and the incapacity to replace them etc. The objective at present is to restore two-way traffic in four to six weeks from now and to have completed the project by the end of this year.”

Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) said he too had received a high number of complaints about the length of the works. He said the road is one of the main arteries into Ennis and that the delay in completing the road “paints the council in a bad light”.

Mayor of Clare, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) said the delays are very unfair on motorists coming from East Clare.

Committee chairman Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) also urged the council to do what it can to expedite the project.

THE emergency services at Ennis General Hospital are to face further downgrading, more than three years after it lost its 24-hour accident and emergency unit.

A date has not yet been set, but the HSE confirmed to The Clare People that the Local Emergency Centre (the former A&E) would be replaced with a Local Injuries Unit.

Once these changes are implemented, all patients with emergency cardiology or medical problems will no longer be treated at Ennis General Hospital but will be taken directly to the Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick.

According to a spokesperson for the HSE, “The Local Emergency Centre will become a Local Injuries Unit focusing on the care of adults and children over five with injuries such as broken bones, soft tissue injuries and wounds.”

Clare representative on the HSE West Forum, Tom McNamara said this news was in complete conflict with what he was told last week.

MOTHERS of children with severe medical conditions and physical and intellectual disabilities are prisoners in their own homes as they work night and day to care for their little ones. Cutting their home care services even more would all but put these Clare parents into solitary confine ment, experts have warned.

As the budget approaches and cuts to home care packages and home help services in Clare are likely to be announced on Friday, families of children with disabilities are feeling the pressure.

Many families in Clare rely on these services to allow them time to collect the glossary shopping, spend time with their other children or even just get a few hours much needed sleep. As well as respite assistance, these families also require help with the day-to-day medical treatment of their children.

The Jack and Jill Foundation provides such support to eight children in Clare up to the age of four years old.

Liaison nurse with the Jack and Jill Foundation, Mags Naughton is dedicated to her role of providing as much help as possible to families of children with medical conditions and intellectual disabilities, but admits it is getting more difficult during the recession. Fundraising, especially corporate fundraising, for the charity has decreased in the last three to four years.

“We have gotten much busier too. In the past, we would have taken less severe cases but we have had to tighten the criteria since the recession as funding has fallen. This is very difficult. It is so difficult to say no,” said the Clare nurse.

Despite the challenges, the foundation and Ms Naughton continue to finance paediatric nurses for an aver- age of eight hours a week.

“That is max standard. It is very tiny but that is what we can give. Unless it is a palliative baby, in which case we can give up to 16 hours.”

As well as supporting the families medically, Mags provides emotional support and helps out with advocacy work. In many cases, families struggle to fill out all the forms associated with the assistance they are entitled to. Most families don’t know their entitlements and when they find out, they are often too busy or tired to fill out the booklet of information required.

Asked abut the proposed cuts, she said, “I think there is a lot of hurt: this is what has happened our child and now doors are just closed on us. A lot of people think they have a sick child and everything will fall into place but this is not the case. You are hammering on doors.

“It is already quite tight for moms to go shopping and they are watching the clock. Most moms are prisoners in their own homes and that is no exaggeration, they really are,” she said.

There is also an inconsistency around the country when it comes to applying for medical cards and other assistance.

“Carers allowance and carers ben efit, because of cutbacks for staff working in those offices, they are all held up for 16 to 18 weeks and that has a huge impact on parents as well. Domiciliary allowance is at least a 16week wait and parents have to furnish so much information; they don’t just take a consultant’s letter, they have to have an occupational assessment. That is very stressful for parents.” * The Ja ck a nd Jill Founda tion a re r a ising funds by collecting old a nd used cr utches. Anyone with old cr utches a t home a re encouraged to br ing them to Applegreen Ser vice Sta tion, a cross from St Fla nna n’s Filed in Ennis before this Sunda y September 16.