John Lyons TD working with Cllr. John Redmond & Brendan Carr
FINGLAS NEWS UPDATE Spring 2014
LABOUR DELIVERING €15M TO DEAL WITH BOARDED UP HOUSES John Lyons TD, Local Finglas Cllr John Redmond and Brendan Carr welcomed €15m in funding to renovate 932 long-term vacant local authority homes around the country. Dublin City Council is being given €3.2 million of this funding to bring 135 council homes back up to scratch and make them available to families on the housing list. Local TD John Lyons stated that “This announcement will mean long-term vacant houses in the area will be brought into the housing stock very soon, which will be a great relief to John Lyons TD & Cllr John Redmond and Brendan Carr welcoming funding announcement neighbours beside these homes, as well as families who are on the housing list.” Finglas Cllr John Redmond congratulated Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan on this positive scheme for the Finglas area. “I’ve lived in Finglas for 41 years with my family and boarded up houses have caused many issues for the local community over the years. Empty Council homes attract anti-social behaviour, especially when they’re left empty for months on end. Former Deputy Lord Mayor Brendan Carr stated how he meets people on the housing list every week who are frustrated at the long wait to be housed. “Some boarded up houses stay that way for months which has a knock on to the whole estate. We need to invest more in social housing to tackle the huge problems at the moment.” Your Labour team in Finglas will continue to push for more investment in social housing, as well as practical schemes like the one announced today.
Inside: Sports Capital Funding & New Local Playground John Lyons, your local TD. Contact me on 618 3280 or john.lyons@oir.ie
SPORTS CAPITAL GRANTS FOR FINGLAS DELIVERED WITH MORE TO COME Sports Capital Grants are very important for local sports clubs to provide projects like dressing rooms, news pitches and new equipment. €720,000 in Sports Capital Grants was secured for local clubs in Dublin North West in 2012. This was the first time grants were opened up for clubs in several years. It was good news that more funding will be granted to sports clubs later in 2014 from Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. John Lyons TD and Cllr John Redmond wrote to local sports clubs to inform them when applications opened and supported several clubs through the application process. John Delaney from the FAI with John Lyons TD and Finglas Cllr John Redmond at McKelvey Celtic
Last time round, local football club FC’s pitch opening McKelvey Celtic were granted €300,000 to build a state-of-the art all weather pitch and dressing room facility. This great facility is nearly finished and is a great asset for the local community.
Your local Labour Team will continue to support local clubs and organisations in Finglas to get the facilities they need.
UPDATE ON FINGLAS PRIMARY CARE CENTRE The new Finglas Primary Health Care Centre is planned for a site on Mellowes Road/Kildonan Road. The centre will provide all Finglas residents with a wide range of services in one site, including GPs, physiotherapists, community nursing services, mental health services and speech and language therapy. The HSE are meeting local residents again to discuss practical changes to some plans. Local councillors from all parties supported the handover of land for the centre last year and it will be moving to the next planning stages after the latest public meeting. John Lyons TD and Cllr John Redmond look forward to the centre being delivered so more valuable services can be delivered for Finglas in the local community.
YOUTH GUARANTEE SCHEME NEEDS TO BE ROLLED OUT IN FINGLAS Local TD John Lyons has long championed the Youth Guarantee, which gives young people out of work or education a guaranteed offer of training, education or a work placement within a four months of being unemployed. A pilot project for the Youth Guarantee scheme is underway in Ballymun at the moment and received €300,000 in European funding. In Ballymun, 750 young people who are out of work will be given a quality offer this year to help get them back to work. John Lyons TD and Cllr John Redmond are pushing for this new scheme to be rolled out to the Finglas area as soon as possible, which despite new jobs in the last year, is still badly affected by unemployment. John Lyons TD and Cllr John Redmond with Emer Costello MEP at Ballymun Youth Guarantee Event Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton published a plan recently to expand the scheme around the country and we are calling for Finglas to be one of the next places to get it.
The Youth Guarantee will mean all young people under 25 who are unemployed in the country will be offered a career path. This will give them new skills so they are better prepared to take up jobs that are coming down the track. We need to back our young people and provide them with the supports they need and the Youth Guarantee does just that.
NEW PLAYGROUND DELIVERED FOR FINGLAS SOUTH There was positive news for local families recently when work began on a new playground for Finglas South in Tolka Valley Park. Cllr John Redmond, who has lived in the area for 41 years, welcomed the start of the works on the playground. “This area had no play facilities for children for years and it is long overdue.” Several residents have expressed general concerns about anti-social behaviour in the park and Cllr John Redmond is working to deliver a new Park Watch scheme for the area. This will help local residents contact community Gardaí and the Finglas Safety Forum when problems happen. Better CCTV coverage for the park also needs to be delivered as part of this. €300,000 was also granted to the Council earlier this year to finish the cycle track through Tolka Valley Park.
Cllr John Redmond with Brendan Carr at Tolka Valley Park Playground
Your local Labour Team is continuing to work to improve facilities in all Finglas Parks, such as sports facilities, playgrounds, walking and cycling routes and new ‘green gyms’ which have been installed in other parts of Dublin. Please contact us on the details overleaf if you want to talk about improving park facilities in your area.
CHANGE TO FINGLAS ELECTION BOUNDARIES We met many residents in recent weeks who were still unaware that boundaries have changed for the local elections on Friday 23rd May. Your area is now part of the Finglas - Cabra ward. John Lyons TD is working with local Cllr John Redmond and Brendan Carr in the new Finglas Cabra ward. If you have any questions about the new boundaries, please contact us on the details below.
JOHN LYONS TD WORKING WITH YOUR LABOUR TEAM John Lyons TD is working with Cllr John Redmond and Brendan Carr in Finglas. Brendan Carr served as a Councillor for Cabra for 10 years and was Deputy Lord Mayor in 1999 and in 2002. He currently works as a trade union official. Brendan has a strong history as a local councillor and will continue to work with Finglas Cllr John Redmond and John Lyons TD for the Finglas area in the coming weeks and months. John Lyons TD, local Cllr John Redmond and Brendan Carr at Finglas Village centre
Please contact us on the details below if we can be of assistance with any local issues or concerns in the near future.
Working Together - Your Labour Team in Finglas-Cabra Dรกil ร ireann, Dublin 2 Tel: 01 618 3280 Email: john.lyons@oireachtas.ie Blog: johnlyonstd.blogspot.com Web: labour.ie/johnlyons
Working with
facebook.com/ JohnLyonsDublinNorthWest @JohnLyonsTD Brendan Carr
087 948 5559 01 8749731 johnjeredmond@eircom.net labour.ie/BrendanCarr
JOHN LYONS TD
Emer Costello MEP 01 874 6109 emer@emercostello.ie 0612
Cllr John Redmond