Submission from the Independent Group of Councillors to the Waste Collection Permit Review
The Independent Group of Councillors are aware that up to Dec 2005 the four Dublin local Authorities had paid 54 million euro to the contractor of the green bin collection service. Obviously that amount has increased over the last one and a half years. We seriously question this amount of tax payers money been spent to a contractor. Private contractors have no obligation to the pre and post street cleaning services, anti litter provision or universal provision of waste collection.
We strongly argue that the four Councils have
1. The infrastructure
2 An efficient and knowledgeable labour force
3 The trucks, depots, recycling facilities, street cleaning facilities etc. to take over the green bin collection.
The four Local Authorities would no longer be bound by the contract over a number of years. These contracts pose serious questions. In reality the local Authorities hands are tied, around the issue of extending the service to more frequent collections or broadening out the items that can be taken in the green bin etc. Instead this can be negotiated with the direct labour of the local authorities and their Union. The contract also restricts the Local Authorities capability of extending the potential recycling facilities in an integrated fashion.
The Independent Group would want the contract for the recycling centres to be taken under the direct management of the four local Authorities.
The Independent Group would welcome that these facilities become more widespread through more recycling centres and for the four Authorities to become key players in sale of recyclable materials. It is only through an integrated plan that the City can move towards a serious approach to a zero landfill waste strategy.
It is only when the four Local Authorities take control of the green bin collection and managing the recycling material that that integrated plan can be seriously addressed. The Ind group also strongly argue that the extra street cleaning jobs will not be contracted out and these jobs will be filled through direct labour of the four local Authorities for many of the above reasons.
While there is an argument for a collection of biodegradable waste and we fully support that this waste be collected by the direct labour of the four Councils, we believe the policy should be reviewed. We are of the opinion that the present pilot scheme is proving that the storage and the fortnightly collection of such waste is causing problems for householders.
Many householders have compost bins and have no use of the service In conclusion the Independent Group fully support an integrated, universal collection of grey/green and biodegradable waste by the four local authorities through the direct labour of the four authorities. The authorities have the real capability of leading the way to, as near as possible, a zero landfill waste policy.
They can control waste, from supermarket to waste processing and gain the financial benefit. The polluter pays strategy will no longer exist within the household waste stream (householders waste represents less than 15% of waste going to landfill at the moment) and bin charges (which we believe has led to the disintegration of waste management plans and a universal waste collection service) will be eradicated in the city. We support the waste permit for the green bin collection of the Dublin region be held by the four Dublin Local Authorities.
Cllr Joan Collins, Cllr Mick Rafferty, Cllr Vincent Jackson.
Joan Collins leads fight to keep jobs in Crumlin and Drimnagh
Press statement: March 7, 2007.
City Councillor Joan Collins
Community and Workers Action Group, Crumlin & Drimnagh.
Dublin City Council has agreed a policy which, if implemented, will mean that commercial sites in the Drimnagh area will not be used to build apartments on. City planners must now ensure that existing factory sites are retained for commercial activity so as to keep jobs in the area.
Councillor Joan Collins of the Community and Workers Action Group (CWAG) got a motion to this effect passed by the City Council on March 5th . (Text of Motion below).
Joan, who will be standing in Dublin South Central as an independent socialist in the General Election, had this to say:
“Factories have closed and jobs have gone from the Davitt Rd and Drimangh area, with more to follow. Lyons, Dulux, Unilever, Easons, Davitt Rd Council depot and Blindcraft have gone with the loss of at least 500 jobs. There are over 1200 people working in Crumlin Hospital and more than 250 live in Dublin 12, so closure would mean the loss of many local jobs – not to mention the loss of vital local children’s health services – which is why I’m opposed to closure.”
Joan went on:
“We have to make sure that factory closures don’t result in the end of employment in the area. That means the Council has to preserve commercial sites – and not let developers make a quick buck by building more apartments. I’m working with the Development Action Group to ensure that local people have a real say about what is built and how land is used in the area.
24,000 people live in Drimnagh and they need jobs locally. But not a word is being said by the government about the jobs haemorrhage. So I’m getting the Council to call on the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to set up an Employment Task Force for the area. And I think local people should organise to ensure their needs are taken into account in any plans for the area. ”
Quotes end.
Further comment: Joan Collins 086 388 8151
Text of Motion passed by Dublin City Council on March 5th 2007, moved by Cllr. Joan Collins.
Over the last period of time a number of factories have closed and a number have announced that they will be closing, along the Davitt Road and Drimangh area. Already Lyons has gone, Dulux paint factory, Unilever, Easons. This has and will result in 100’s of job losses. The proposed move from the Crumlin childrens’ hospital could potentially mean serious job losses. In any other town or village a state of emergency would be called.
This Council calls on
1. The City planners to ensure that these commercial sites in any future developments remain commercial sites.
2. That the minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment urgently sets up an Employment Task Force for the Drimnagh area.
Joan Collins puts virus into Protocol for Ban on Public Notices
Report from Indymedia. Sean Ryan, April 3, 2007
The Protocol for the Posting of Public Notices has been enacted. No more posters on Grafton St., Henry St., or O’Connell St.
Readers will be happy to read that this will be a short article as the whole thing was recorded. I’ll just go over the essentials of tonight’s (well last night’s at this stage) debacle in City Hall, where once and for all, the ban on the publication of public notices was enacted and put in black and white.
Cllr. Dermot Lacey, who has posted many times on Indymedia, expressing his undying fight to champion the rights of free speech and the freedom of association, has kept the flag flying for Labour. He champions these rights as long as citizens don’t expect to practice them on, Grafton St., Henry St. or O’Connell St. In fairness to Dermot he proposed that three of the six locations that were to be ‘no poster areas’ be exempted. However, he felt that a ban on basic democratic rights and principles on the three aforementioned streets, to best serve the common greed.
Loads of folks got their say and most of them congratulated themselves on their addition to democratic principles and the right to protest.
Joan Collins had four amendments for the Protocol. She pointed out to those assembled, that if the Council put aside €3,000 that the insurance needs associated with the dangers of postering would be met. This was rejected. She asked that all six ‘no poster areas’ be scrapped. This too was rejected. One section of the protocol demanded that a name and an address be printed on each and every poster. Joan asked that this be changed due to possible dangers that might result from an individual having to put his/her name and address on a poster. This was generally accepted and adopted. Joan had a fourth amendment to add and I’ll get to that shortly.
The protocol was discussed for around half an hour and it was agreed that concerned parties leave the hall and discuss Labour’s and Joan’s amendments. The various parties left and returned about twenty minutes later.
After finishing the business at hand, the Council returned to the Protocol. The original Protocol was amended and the Poster Ban enacted.
Just after the ban was enacted, a female councillor whose name I didn’t catch, asked if the ban on Grafton St., Henry St., and O’Connell St. included a ban on election posters. This was a dirty trick. You see, the main sustaining argument behind banning postering on the named streets, was that election posters were banned there. The council having enacted its ban, pulled the rug out from under its arguments and said that the ban did not include a ban on election posters. Everyone had a good laugh, and Joan left the hall for a much needed cigarette with myself in pursuit. We went outside the main doors and there I interviewed Joan, hence the background noise (although the sound quality is still pretty good).
Luckily for us, the Council did not have the last laugh and I’m sure that Terry O’Keefe, the law agent for DCC, will kick some smug arses, when he sees what Joan has done to the master plan.
No need for thanks Terry. You’re welcome.
Joan’s fourth amendment looked so innocent. The folks in the chamber were so sure that Europe wouldn’t screw them that they allowed Joan’s amendment to pass – some of them even welcomed it. Methinks if Terry listens to the recording, he’ll know which plump arses to chew. Bon appetite.
The following words were added to the protocol: “It is Dublin City Councils policy to uphold article 10 of the European Convention on Human rights Act 2003″
Looks very innocent doesn’t it. It’s a real fuckin’ headache for DCC though. It contradicts the whole Protocol. And DCC will find it an addition that is very hard to remove. Once one recognises that a law exists, it is very hard to make it go away.
ECHR Article 10
i. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises.
ii. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or the rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.
Thanks Joan.
Related links:
Motion on Poster Ban passed at DCC http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76227
DCC Pulls Poster Ban – For Now… http://www.indymedia.ie/article/80028
Joan Collins to work with Pat Dunne
oan Collins was elected to Dublin City Council as an Anti Bin Tax councillor for Dublin 12 in 2005.
She and Pat Dunne are the local Area Representatives in the Walkinstown, Cherryfield, Perrystown and Kimmage Areas.Between them they received over 5000 first preference votes in the 2004 Local Elections.
Supported by the Anti-Bin Tax Campaigns Joan Collins was elected to Dublin City Council whist Pat Dunne, despite winning 2,200 votes was narrowly defeated following a recount in the South Dublin County Council Area.
Pat Dunne is fully supporting Joan Collins in this years General Election and will be asking all his supporters in this area to give Joan the No.1 vote.
Together they have campaigned on a number of key local issues. They played leading roles in setting up the Dublin 12 Development Action Group.
They are working hard with local Residents Groups to preserve the suburban nature of the area by objecting to developers plans to build high rise, high density apartment blocks in the area.
They are working to have a local preservation order for Crumlin Village and are constantly vigilant with regard to future plans for Walkinstown Roundabout and the Submarine Bar site.
As a result of a government proposal known as the Cohesion Process this area will no longer be serviced by The KWCD Area Partnership. We will belong to a new Partnership with its headquarters in Tallaght. Joan Collins and Pat Dunne are currently lobbying to ensure that our local community is not disadvantaged by this move.
We are especially asking that services such as the Jobs Club and The Local Employment Services currently on our doorsteps in Crumlin Village will continue to be available to the people of SDCC.
We are also lobbying for new community development workers for the area as well as a local outreach office for the new Partnership.
