exsite_ravi, Author at Councillor Derek Mitchell - Page 2 of 4

Tuesdays meeting of the Council was told that 5 of the 12 outdoor staff positions in Greystones Municipal District were vacant as staff had left or retired. Most of these positions are to be recruited in January. Also a study of the staff numbers required is to be done early next year. ‘It is disturbing that so many positions have been allowed to be vacant at one time, no wonder it has been so difficult to get work done. I did an analysis of the amount of staff & budget…

Submission on Community Benefit Fund of Offshore Windfarm ORESS Consultation Windfarms encounter local resistance in very many communities, including loud campaigns against them in Wicklow and other counties. Previous thermal power stations had major local benefits including jobs, trade, substantial rates to provide local services and giving the communities a sense of purpose. This is lacking in offshore wind which will provide few jobs, except where the base is, but will have a large visual effect on a wide area. Communities need to feel connected to it, need to see…

Greystones will be ‘Wind Farm Central’ with the Codling Bank & the Dublin Array ones meeting offshore, the largest windfarms in Ireland. It is vital that this benefits the town and residents feel connected to it. It is important that the Community Benefit Fund from each wind farm is seen to be spent locally, in those areas that see the turbines. Consultation on this closed last week and I lobbied to get this fund kept local rather than National which was originally proposed. I want to see this fund spent…

I complained at Mondays Council budget meeting that Greystones only got half the budget of other areas and half the staff. This has led to the ludicrous situation that an expensive street sweeper had sat in a shed for most of 5 years because there was no one to drive it. The Chief Executive did agree to recruit for 2 vacant posts now and do a study of the staffing needs of each area. However there was no commitment to extra staff so I voted against the Budget for the…