October 2024
Hi, there! — Welcome to the thirty-first edition of my monthly newsletter to keep you up to date on my work for Cork City North East.
This month we have motions on vacant Defence Forces housing, storm drains and slowing the flow of rainwater, and ensuring Cork is a welcoming city for breastfeeding mothers — as well as questions about the quality of water in the Glen River Park and the opening of steps near Kent Station.
I’ve also included updates on water fountains in parks across the ward, public transport in the city, and the appointment of a new chief executive for Cork City Council.
If ever there’s anything you want to get in touch about, please feel welcome to email me any time at oliver.moran@greenparty.ie — even just to let me know your thoughts on this newsletter.
Please remember you can share this newsletter with your friends and neighbours in the ward as well.
Many thanks!
Oliver
p.s. You can use this link to easily read and share all my monthly newsletters ... oliver.ie/newsletter
Motions and notions
Each councillor can submit up to four motions each month to Cork City Council and ask two formal questions of the Chief Executive. One of these questions is asked at the Local Area Committee and must be about local operational matters.
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
Questions
“To ask the Chief Executive if a measure exists of the water quality of the Glen River; and how this is affected by outlets entering the river in the Glenn River Park?”
I will also ask the following question at the next meeting of the North East ward Local Area Committee:
“To ask the Chief Executive for an update on the opening of the steps from the Lower Glanmire Road to Horgan’s Quay (opposite the steps from Clifton Terrace)?”
Motions
“That Cork City Council will engage with the Defence Forces on the matter of the vacant ‘military families’ properties adjacent to the Collins’ Pitch and Putt Club opposite Collins’ Barracks; and about opportunities to bring these properties back into use for housing, including by the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel Approved Housing Body.”
“That Cork City Council will record and publish data of areas affected by spot flooding during severe rain events; that this data will be used to verify that storm drains in these areas are clear ahead of Orange Alerts for rainfall; and that documentation will be provided to residents in all areas on how to clear gullies.”
“That Cork City Council will assess areas for opportunities to re-green hard surfaces as a means to slow and reduce rainwater flows during severe rain events; that the Cork City Council Development Plan will require driveways to be constructed using rainwater permeable surfaces; and that standards for surface water attenuation, and capacity of storm drains, will be reviewed in light of increased severe rain events.”
“That Cork City Council will develop an initiative similar to Breastfeeding Friendly Limerick to help improve the health and wellbeing of breastfeeding mothers, babies and their families through the development and promotion of breastfeeding-friendly businesses, organisations and communities.”
What’s happening?
Drinking water fountains
This month, Cork City Council confirmed to me plans to install a drinking water fountain at the Glen River Park, funded by the Local Property Tax.
Each year, local councillors in the North East ward agree a budget for projects across the ward. This included the installation of drinking water fountains in parks in the ward.
The Parks Department evaluated locating these at the Glen River Park, Tank Field and John O’Callaghan Park. However, this was dependent on a drinking water source being present to supply the fountain.
While there is no direct water supply to connect to in the Glen River Park, there is a water supply serving the council depot adjacent to the park.
Cork City Council will now lay a secondary line from the depot to a site within the park to provide the drinking water fountain. This work is scheduled to be completed in the next two months and a drinking water fountain installed subsequently.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t possible at John O Callaghan Park and at the Tank Field. The option of micro-drilling for a well at both of these locations was also explored but unfortunately that proved too costly.
Every Saturday morning at 9:30am, there’s a regular park run organised in the Glen River Park. I hope this water fountain will help support that and other users of the park.
Public transport update
This month the on-going crisis in Bus Éireann in the city is showing signs of coming to a head. The company are experiencing a driver-retention crisis and this is affecting the reliability of the service, even more than usual.
They have cut services to try to make up for the inability to deliver the current ones. In a counter-intuitive way, this makes some pragmatic sense but it is no long term solution.
They are also pressing for particular public transport priority measures to be implemented in the short term. Most of these, I agree with and there may be support also across the council.
In some ways, it’s welcome as honesty at last.
For the past year, Bus Éireann have been pretending to run a service without the minimum staff to deliver it. Better in many ways to have a timetable that reflects the capacity of the bus company rather then leaving customers standing.
Earlier this month, elected representatives met with Bus Éireann. It wasn’t a pretty meeting and the views of elected members were put very squarely to Bus Éireann.
A special in-person meeting between Cork City Council and the Minister for Transport is scheduled on the matter this month. The CEO of Bus Éireann has also agreed to meet Cork City Council in-person afterwards on the same day.
There is a crisis in public transport in Cork now. However, crisis is also opportunity. If a scaled-back but reliable service was possible in the short term then that could be built upon as drivers are recruited in the medium term.
New chief executive
In September, Cork City Council rubber stamped the appointment of a new chief executive, Valerie O’Sullivan — a decision I described as “hire first, ask questions later”.
Ms O’Sullivan was the sole recommendation from the Public Appointments Service. I wanted her to meet councillors before being appointed to the position.
In particular, a number of questions arose during Ms O’Sullivan’s tenure as acting chief executive of Cork County Council.
These included matters to do with Traveller-relations and a cyber-security incident involving Ms O’Sullivan’s social media account, which was described as being “compromised” and used to promote anti-LGBT, climate change denial and conspiracy theory talking points.
However, speaking to Ms O’Sullivan about these incidents — or about anything, for that matter — before appointing her, was not supported by a majority of councillors.
The position of chief executive is effectively for 10 years. Taking a more careful approach to the appointment, especially where there is controversy, would have given the city more certainty.
Unfortunately, we’re now left asking questions after the appointment is made, rather than asking these up front.
I think most people would think it’s incredible that someone could be appointed to a position like this with such a reluctance from the elected council to even meet the nominee before appointing.
My feeling is that the decision has put us one step closer to a directly-elected Lord Mayor in Cork to replace the role of chief executive.
In the news…
E-scooter ban ‘wrongheaded’
Green Party councillor, Oliver Moran, said he felt it was wrong and disappointment for what the ban might mean for those who use e-scooters.
Cork Independent, Thursday, 10 October
Kilcully residents stage protest to highlight need for footpaths and traffic calming measures
Oliver Moran said, “The frustration from residents demanding the project is very clear. It’s not the only project that’s slow to deliver due to the pace of acquiring land.”
Echo, Tuesday, 1 October
‘Frustrated’ protesters call for improvement to water quality in Cork
Green Party councillor, Oliver Moran, said: “People have been very patient until now, but they’re using words like ‘intolerable’ and ‘inexcusable’ to describe the situation.”
Echo, Thursday, 26 September
Keep in touch
Thanks for reading! Please feel welcome to share this newsletter and invite other people you know to subscribe — and, if you can, please consider making a donation to my political activities in the ward.
You can also keep up to date with my activities on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Mastodon and TikTok. And don’t forget, you can email me any time at oliver.moran@greenparty.ie.
Have a great month!
