Labour City Councillors to Table Motion on Greyhound Rubbish Collection

Statement by Dublin City Council Labour Group

The Dublin City Council Labour Group has today continued to express its disappointment at the behaviour of the Greyhound Waste Management Company and Dublin City Council management and will be raising the issue at the Finance and the Environment and Engineering Committees tomorrow.

The Group will also be meeting with the Dublin City Manager and other senior officials to seek the necessary changes. "We are deeply alarmed with the requirement of customers to pay an up-front fee of €100 in order to have the service provided. Councillors had not been told about this in advance. Given that we are in the post-Christmas period, not least recognising the financial difficulties which many are already experiencing, we are calling for a change in the ways which people can pay.

The City Manager must renegotiate the terms of the agreement, and allow residents to pay the standing charge in stages rather than a once off "up front" payment. Also methods of payment like Standing order must be made available to customers.

"We are puzzled by Fianna Fail councillors’ sudden eagerness on this issue. They appear to have forgotten that it was their own party in 2004 which stripped away powers from City Councillors to deal with waste management issues like this. The time for hypocritical political posturing is gone, we are now asking for proper dialogue to occur to solve this issue.

"The Labour Party Group is dedicated to working for real Local Government Reform. As local representatives we are asking for Dublin City Council management to engage with us so that a better, more transparent and user friendly service can be offered to the citizens of Dublin. We have also arranged a delegation to meet the City Manager on the issue also tomorrow, and we are hopeful that a resolution can reached. "

Great Writers, Great Places - A Truly Novel Idea!

As Dublin continues to celebrate its status as a Unesco City of Literature, a number of events are scheduled to take place throughout the City this autumn. Dublin has a remarkable literary tradition from Swift to Wilde and that literary tradition lives on with a rich crop of contemporary writers living in the City as evidenced by the "Great Writers, Great Places" events which will take place all over the City this autumn. Words will intertwine with the city as Words on the Street comes to life. Writers will demonstrate their skill and imagination as they present their works in unusual haunts.

I was deeply honoured to launch "Great Writing Great Places" series of literary events this evening on board the Jeanie Johnston. It was really great to see the first event packed to the rafters - despite the blustery weather.

The first session on the Jeanie Johnson relived stories of emigration and loss, a theme prevalent in our history and in the national psyche. Marita Conlon-McKenna, Martina Devlin and Kate Kerrigan shared personal stories, family histories and inspirations for their writings on the theme of emigration, family and loss.

As we huddled together on the replica Famine Ship, the stories shared had a particular poignancy. For many present there was a certain resonance about the current wave of emigration and what it means for this generation.
"Great Writers, Great Places" will follow many inspiring and interesting writers and locations such as The Four Courts, Glasnevin Cemetery, Lost Society, Fallon& Byrne and the crypt at Christ Church.

Great credit is due to Jane Alger and the team at Dublin Public Libraries for developing this event which is just one of many events organised to celebrate our literary heritage.
Details of dates and events can be checked on www.dublincityofliterature.ie. Most of the events are free of charge, booking is required for some.

Your City - Your Voice - Win a Helicopter Tour of Dublin City

Dublin City Council has recently launched the second ‘Your Dublin Your Voice’ Survey.

The survey asks about your views on Dublin’s social scene. How do you like to spend your time in Dublin? Do you like shopping in the city? Do you like to spend your free time in the city centre or the suburbs? Do you think it’s expensive to go out in Dublin compared to a year ago? These are issues everybody has an opinion on and ‘Your Dublin Your Voice’ is giving you a chance to express them.”
Completing the survey is easy and only takes five minutes. To join the survey go to: www.yourdublinyourvoice.ie

The Survey should be completed by 31 July 2011.

Innovation Dublin - Call for Events

The successful Innovation Dublin Festival, now in its third year, will run from 17 October to 18 November.

The festival celebrates innovation in the city across the spectrum: business, the arts, education, science, sports, the environment and lots more! Whatever the field, if it involves new ideas and fresh, creative thinking, it's innovative!

The City Council has launched a call for events for the Festival - in any format: conferences, exhibitions, workshops, debates, interactive dialogues, online events, theatre, film, etc.

For further information check out the Innovation Dublin Website

Watch City Council Meetings Live from Your own Home!

Dublin City Council is now broadcasting City Council Meetings live on the Internet. The City Council meeting is held the first Monday of every month (except on bank holidays) when it is held on the second Monday. You can tune into http://www.dublincity.ie/ to watch live or to review debates at previous meetings.