May 2022
Hi, there! — Welcome to the second issue of my new monthly newsletter, where you can keep up to date on my work in Cork City North East.
Please let me know what you think about the newsletter. I'll incorporate feedback as we learn what's good for you. If you have questions or want to raise an issue, let me know at oliver.moran@greenparty.ie.
All the best!
Oliver
Motions and notions
Every month, each councillor can submit up to four motions to Cork City Council and ask two formal questions to the Chief Executive. One of these questions is asked at the Local Area Committee and must be about local operational issues.
Before the deadline each month, I meet with my local group, the Cork City North Greens and we agree motions and questions for the month ahead. We call this our "motions and notions" meeting :-)
If you have ideas or suggestions for a motion, or have a question you want asked, just let me know!
Or join the Cork City North Greens ... my.greenparty.ie/join
Questions
“To ask the Chief Executive if limits have been placed on the number of derelict sites that can be reported by individual users of the Cork City Council website, and will she comment on the matter?”
“To ask the Chief Executive for an update on plans to improve Bell’s Field and the Lady’s Well area as a public park?”
Motions
"That Cork City Council will report on options for implementing a car-free city centre on Sundays, cooperating with Transport for Ireland to promote free public transport on Sundays with the launch of BusConnects Cork, and will seek to pilot a car-free city centre with free public transport on a Sunday close to Car Free Day in September 2022.”
“That Cork City Council will locate a plaque identifying Mary MacSwiney Bridge at a suitable location at pedestrian level, such as at the intersection of the bridge and Dublin Street in Blackpool.”
“That Cork City Council will report on measures to improve pedestrian facilities for residents on the northern side of the Banduff Road, including crossing points to the existing footpath on the southern side of the road, and identify sources of funding for these works.”
“That Cork City Council will report on the feasibility and suitability of installing a trampe bicycle lift (like in Trondheim, Norway) on sections of the Alternative Cycle Facilities of "Corridor B – Mayfield to City” of the BusConnects Sustainable Transport Corridors, especially the York Street section.“
What's happening?
Ward budget
The outline for the ward budget for Cork City North East was agreed on Monday, 25 April.
This is the second year of ward budgets in Cork City Council. This year, the city council agreed to fund ward-level budgets of €350,000 per ward. This is funded by the 9% variation in Local Property Tax agreed by Cork City Council, which is about €20 extra per household.
Like last year, the councillors in the North East ward have used this budget to set aside funding for a range of projects in the ward.
These include money for lighting at the Tank Field and new soft landscaping along the N20 in Blackpool. We also set aside pots of money for road-lining, footpath repair, traffic calming, and amenities like bin and benches. We've also agreed to fund play equipment at a location to be agreed later and a pedestrian crossing, which we're still deciding between potential locations.
In other wards, councillors spent all of this budget on estate roads resurfacing, and didn't fund any other projects. I'm really proud of all my ward colleagues for taking a wider view of what can be done with this money.
The next steps will be to agree specific projects within each heading we've agreed to fund. Every councillor has ideas of their own but we're also all open to hearing from residents in the ward.
We're also keeping an eye on how the projects we agreed last year are progressing. The largest of these is a new pedestrian crossing at Scoil Cara in Mayfield. A traffic survey has been carried out and the city is now seeking tenders for the design of the new crossing.
100 Climate Neutral Cities by 2030
Cork has been selected to be among 100 EU Mission Cities to be climate-neutral by 2030 after applying to the European Commission to be included.
This was an enormous decision by the city to put itself forward for this mission. There’s no underestimating the scale of the challenge that this ambition sets. In transport, housing, energy the goal to be climate neutral as a city by 2030 is enormous but the right thing to do.
Something striking for me was the recognition by Cork City officials of the scale and seriousness of this commitment in preparing the city’s application. This is not something to be waded into loudly, but it was not a challenge to step back from when it is put to us. It’s a moon-shot but it’s the scale of challenge we need to step up to, to inspire others and to commit ourselves.
On Tuesday, I will chair a meeting of the Climate Action Committee that will receive its first briefing on the mission since being accepted as a Mission City.
A great as the scale of this challenge is, we should not back away from it. Cork can lead on climate. We’re transforming our transport systems with commuter rail and bus. Cork harbour can be a centre for renewable energy. We can transform our housing stock to be warmer and cleaner.
Now, Cork can lead on climate and inspire for the whole of Europe as a Mission City.
Citizens' assembly on drugs
This month, I launched a position paper with Neasa Hourigan on the citizens assembly on drugs, which is planned to be set up in 2023. A citizens' assembly on drugs was a commitment of the Green Party in government.
We were joined at the launch by James Leonard from Churchfield of the Two Norries podcast and Paula Kearney, a service worker with experience in youth and addiction services.
Neasa, myself and others have been working over the past year on proposals for a citizens' assembly on drugs. We've been meeting with experts on citizens assemblies, advocates for change in drugs policy and other elected representatives.
Having been a campaigner for citizens' assemblies, I attended previous citizens assemblies as an observer. Walking into that room is an immense feeling. You’re struck by the fact that you’re looking at a "mini-Ireland" with people of every genders, social class and geography represented fairly.
When you bring people together like that, present to them the facts, and allow them to talk to one another, the real meaning of the phrase "common sense" starts coming through.
We’ve seen that on marriage equality and abortion. Things that were assumed to be absolute no-nos, and people wanted to dodge at all costs, when we talked it through, the “common sense” won out.
I’m very confident that will be the case with this citizens' assembly too.
In the news...
Irish Examiner view: Finding a new way of death
The tranquillity of woodland burial is likely to become a more common experience
Cork city residents hit out as 'ugly as hell' mobile signal booster masts multiply
While it costs a telecoms company just €125 to request permission for one of these masts, it costs €220 to lodge an appeal against them
Cork City Council rules out using DNA samples to identify dog owners responsible for dog fouling
The approach adopted by Leitrim County Council involves dog owners voluntarily providing their personal information together with saliva samples from ...
Keep in touch
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Have a good month!