Author: admin

CLARE County Council’s share of the Local Government Fund provided to by the Department of the Environment has been slashed by over € 6.2m over the past two years.

Money coming into Clare County Council coffers in 2012 has been set at € 10.18m, while it stood at € 16. 41m in 2009. However, this reduction still represents good news for the county’s premier decision-making body. That’s because Clare has moved rapidly up the league table of county councils around the country when it comes to the doling out of government money from the lucrative Local Development Fund.

Figures contained in the Draft Budget 2012 have revealed that Clare Council have been informed by Minister Phil Hogan that their share of the Local Government Fund has been set at € 10.18m.

“This is a reduction of 5.45 per cent on the net Local Government Fund, making a cumulative reduction of 38 per cent since 2009,” Clare County Manager Tom Coughlan has revealed. “The national levels of reduction are not yet published,” added Mr Coughlan, “but I understand that, as in 2011, Clare County Council has not suffered the most severe reductions on a national comparative basis in the Local Government Fund.”

In fact, it’s believed that Clare now sits third in the Local Government Fund league table, when once they were a lowly 23rd when it came to secured monies from the fund that’s crucial to the operation of any local authority.

The funding levels for Clare County Council in 2012 come against a backdrop of a range of cutbacks that have been administered in the local authority over the past few years.

Payroll costs have been slashed from the € 44.8m high in 2009 to € 37.9m in 2011, while it’s been projected that they will be cut to € 36.8m in 2012, which will represent a 17.8 per cent cut in three years.

“Despite the ongoing efforts to reduce expenditure and increase income, the projected financial result for 2011 is a € 500,000 deficit,” the county manager has revealed.

This deficit has been blamed on the weather, Traveller accommodation and reducing rates revenues.

The key variances are as a result of the essential works which were undertaken to respond to the adverse weather conditions in early 2011, unexpected costs relating to Traveller accommodation and the increased levels of vacant properties in the county,” said Mr Coughlan.

Further cutbacks are to be put in place for 2012, with the projected number of staff at the end of February 2012 set at 810, which compares to a figure of 1,002 in 2006, while it’s anticipated that further reductions in staffing levels will occur in 2012.

“The ongoing reduction in staffing levels has resulted in a situation where staff of the council continue to deliver services even though the number of staff available to do so has been severely reduced,” said Mr Coughlan.

AFTER decades of campaigning Kinvara has finally been given the go ahead for the construction of a state of the art € 5.2 million treatment plant.

Presently more than 60,000 gallons of raw sewage are been discharged into Kinvara Bay each day. Besides the obvious environmental difficulties associated with the dumping of raw sewage, the village also suffers badly at times of low or unusual tides when a back wash effect can bring some of the waste into the picturesque surrounding of the Kinvara Pier. Because of this unusual movement of water in Kinvara Bay, raw sewage is often seen floating on the flat waters of the harbour – especially during the summer months.

Kinvara village has become a major tourist attraction in recent years with tens of thousands of tourists visiting each year to enjoy the the towns great maritime and traditional music heritage.

Before this year’s General Election local TD, Ciaran Cannon (FG), committed to resign his seat and not run again if a sewage system for Kinvara was not built during the life of the current government.

“When I first ran for the council back in 2004 this was an issue that had lingered for years with no solution in sight. I had always hoped that some day I could work with my colleagues locally and nation- ally to bring this saga to an end, and thankfully we have now arrived at that point,” he said. “Anyone visiting Kinvara at night over the Christmas period will be uplifted by the beautiful sight of a boat moored in the harbour and lit with hundreds of twinkling lights. It is a fitting symbol of a community that has lived and laboured by the sea for generations. I am delighted that within a couple of years that boat will be moored in a bay which has finally been restored to its original pristine beauty.”

The majority of the € 5.2 construction cost will come from the Department of the Environment with the balance being made up from funds already earmarked for the project by Galway County Council.

A TAXI driver in Shannon sustained multiple injuries in an assault after a dispute arose over a fare, a court has been told.

Arising out of the incident, Diarmuid Devanney (22) with an address at Cúl Na Gréine, Shannon, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm. Inspector Tom Kennedy told Shannon District Court on Thursday that the taxi driver was hit from behind with a crutch by the defendant, on February 20 last.

He said that the accused, his younger brother and a friend were in a taxi in Shannon.

He said that they were brought to the town centre and didn’t have the money to pay the fare.

“The taxi driver got out of the taxi and held on to one of them,” he said.

He said that while the taxi driver held on to the accused’s brother, the accused “assaulted him with a crutch”.

He said that the taxi driver sustained several injuries including bruises to the head, hands and arms, cuts to the lips and mouth, while he had a finger broken.

“It was minor enough in the Section 3 (assault causing harm) category,” said Inspector Kennedy.

Defending solicitor Jenny Fitzgibbon said that there was a misunderstanding on the night.

She said that her client’s brother had got out of the taxi to go to the bank machine to get money to pay the fare. “They realised they didn’t have money,” she said.

“There was a bit of a misunder- standing. I’m not sure if it was cultural or language,” she said.

She said that her client’s actions were “reprehensible” and he had “gotten out of control”, adding that he was “very protective” of his younger brother.

She said that her client has “very, very serious health concerns”.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy imposed a fine of € 300.

A DISTRICT court judge has dismissed an objection to the renewal of a licence for a pub in Ballinruan, after hearing from a garda that the premises is well run and has never generated a complaint.

Bernard Hassett, of Burrenview, Ballinruan, Crusheen, objected to the renewal of the licence of Hassett’s bar in Ballinruan.

Garda Declan Keavey, who is based in Crusheen, told the court that he has never had any complaints relating to the premises, which he described as well run.

“It is a typical rural pub. It is the social network of the local community. . . It is the centre of the community,” he said.

He said that the pub is located in a tiny village. “If you blinked you would miss it. There’s a church, a pub and a community centre,” he explained.

The age profile of those who frequent the pub is over 40, he said.

“I have never had any incident. I have never been called to the pub,” said the garda.

“The publican has never been convicted of any incident. There has never been a drink driving incident or traffic accident as a result of people leaving the pub,” he said.

Gda Keavey said there is never any anti-social behaviour in the village.

The publican, Paddy Hassett told the court that he bought the premises in 2003 and he and his wife run it. He said that the customers are mainly an “older crowd” consisting of locals, as the younger people from the area go to Ennis and Gort at night-time.

He said he opens the pub at around 8.30pm or 9pm every night and closes at 1am and there is Irish music at weekends.

During the weekday nights, there are generally just up to eight people in the pub and this increases to between 30 and 40 at weekends.

It was put to him that according to Bernard Hassett, people left the pub at 3.50am one morning and that a car was damaged. The publican denied this. He told the court that when Bernard Hassett moved to the Ballinruan area, there were no difficulties with him.

“He has gone to court with two friends of mine. That’s why he is hitting at me,” said the publican.

Bernard Hassett told the court that people left the pub one morning at 3.50am “and created anti-social behaviour”.

He said that his objection was based on CCTV footage. However, Judge Aeneas McCarthy told him that the footage was 20 hours in length, “predominantly a camera pointing at an empty road”.

“I am not looking at 20 hours of CCTV camera pointing at an empty road. It’s your business to edit it,” said the judge.

He dismissed the case. “I’m granting the licence,” said the judge.

SHANNON Airport is likely to escape any major downturn in passenger numbers as a result of the official conclusion of US military operations in Iraq. An estimated 229,000 US military servicemen and women travelled through Shannon Airport in 2010 – more then 12 per cent of the entire passenger population who used the airport.

However, The Clare People understands that the vast majority of US military personnel who are currently using the airport are flying on to based in Afghanistan and Germany and will not be effected by the fall off in numbers travelling to Iraq.

While last week’s announcement of an official end to the US military occupation in Iraq will have an impact on the throughput at Shannon Airport, a number of these flight will continue to operate between Shannon and Kuwait instead of between Shannon and Iraq. All US military flight which land at Shannon Airport pay the same airport charges that are paid by regular commercial operators at the airport. The US military troops have also become an major generator of revenue for the Shannon Duty Free shop over the last decade.

The Department of Foreign Affairs have also confirmed that they did not receive any advanced warning from the US authorities that US operations in Iraq, which use Shannon Airport, would be coming to an end.

Shannon Airport handled an estimated 1.8 million passengers in 2010 but number are expected to be significantly lower for 2011. The airport is currently estimated to be losing in the region of € 7 million each year.

Meanwhile, noted economist and former government adviser, Dr Alan Ahearne, has warned that Clare and the west of Ireland will not escape unscathed from the current crisis which is effecting the Euro.

Dr Ahearne, who was speaking at the Shannon Chamber of Commerce’s annual President’s lunch, which took place in Dromoland Castle on Friday last, said that the one saving grace was that the Irish are “more resilient” than other people.

“Europe is muddling through the Euro crisis, with no definite comprehensive solution on the table and no ECB big bazooka. The Euro needs a new architecture, which involves stricter surveillance of national fiscal and economic policies and a proper centralised framework to resolve crises,” he said.

“Much of the hard work has already been done here. Three-quarters of the budgetary adjustments have been made, the banks have been restructured, and we are seeing significant improvements in our cost competitiveness. However, we won’t escape unscathed.”

THE global birthplace of duty free in Shannon has received a € 1m upgrade. The investment at The Loop at Shannon will be completed next month.

This is due to a redevelopment of the Shannon Airport retail facility by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA).

The development on the site where Dr Brendan O’Regan founded the world’s first duty free experience in 1947 includes an upgraded perfume and cosmetics area, a new dedicated Irish whiskey store, an Irish Memories souvenir outlet, a new concession giftware store from Glenaran and an area devoted to selling Irish food, including a range of artisan products.

“This investment will radically improve the retail offer at Shannon,” said DAA Retail Director, Paul Nee- son. “Shannon Airport was the birthplace of international duty free and we are delighted to be improving the spiritual home of airport shopping. Following this significant investment, the new retail area in Shannon is much brighter and offers our customers a much more pleasant shopping environment.

Shannon Airport Authority (SAA) Chairman Brian O’Connell welcomed the investment.

“From its earliest days, Shannon Airport has always prided itself in providing a uniquely memorable visitor experience for air travellers. Customer satisfaction is the be all and end all of our daily business and this € 1m investment by the DAA will ensure Shannon’s traditional welcome in our attractive new retail facilities will continue into the future,” he said.

The new 900 square metre Shannon retail area is being delivered in three phases. Work started on the revamp in September and the project will be fully completed early next month.

Shannon’s new perfume and cosmetics area will offer consumers the leading international brands at significant discounts to downtown prices, while Glenaran Irish Market stocks a range of Irish crafts including handmade sweaters, fashion items, crystal and jewellery.

One of the features of the new development at The Loop in Shannon is the opening of the new Irish Whiskey Collection outlet, a sister shop to the award-winning version at Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport that has already boosted whiskey sales there by 30 percent.

“The Irish Whiskey Collection is designed to be a living shrine to Irish whiskey, which is one of this country’s greatest exports,” said Mr Neeson. The new outlet in Shannon will carry a wide range of whiskey brands and is designed to cater for both the whiskey enthusiast and the casual shopper.

THE Green Party’s newly appointed spokesperson for European Affairs, Clare councillor Brian Meaney, has hit out at European leaders for fiddling while the Euro burns.

The Ennis-based councillor was named on the party’s new-look front bench by party leader Eamon Ryan last week and believes European leaders need to step up to the plate and really tackle the Euro crisis.

“I am appalled, I am standing back stunned to see what is going on with- in the political structures of Europe at the moment. They are still only tinkering around the edges. The Euro is in a total crisis – it is a currency without a treasury or any institutions that support it and the powers that be think we can just tinker around the edges,” he said.

“We are in a position where there should not be a question whether there should be a referendum or not, the true reform that is needed is so great that it would require a constitutional referendum in Ireland. I do think that people do understand the benefits of our participation in Europe and they will vote to continue it.”

The Green Party have also outlined how the party plans to recover from loosing all of its six representatives in Dáil Éireann in February’s General Election.

“We are a policy orientated party. But the changes will come in how these policies are brought to the fore. I thing you will see a more pragmatic and realistic party who are going to follow policies that are achievable,” said Cllr Meaney. “I don’t like the approach that this government has taken to climate change and we are going to bring forward policies that will challenge the mainstream political thinking. I think we will be able to bring something that will have a deeper relevance for the people.”

One of the party’s first stated aims is to double the number of local Green Party councillors in Ireland in the 2013 local elections. The new front bench contains only two members who have served as a TD or Senator for the party in the past – party leader Eamon Ryan and Ciarán Cuffe.

CLARE parents have been warned not to purchase a puppy as a gift for their children this year by the county’s dog warden Frankie Coote, who had to rehouse dozens of newly abandoned animals in the first week after Christmas last year.

Anyone interested in getting a pet for their family this Christmas is instead asked to visit the Clare Dog Pound with their children and speak to a trained professional about what is required to look after a dog prop- erly.

“Unfortunately, each year parents and relatives go out there and decide to buy a pet for a child for Christmas. We would advice anyone who is thinking of getting a dog at Christmas, and they have the right time and facilities, that they should go to a pound and rehouse a dog rather than going to a puppy farm. Puppy farms are just breeding establishments and you are going to buy from a puppy farm you really need to see the dogs parents and what sort of conditions they are being kept with,” said Frankie.

“Parents can rush into getting a dog as a present without really thinking about the amount of work that is involved in a dog.

“Last Christmas we saw a number of relatives bringing a puppy for their niece of nephew – that is a terrible thing to do with someone. The people are not prepared for the pup and all the work that that entails. Last year I had to go to several people immediately after Christmas because they just were not able to take care of their pups. It is a big commit- ment and people who get a puppy at Christmas don’t realise this.”

Meanwhile, a number of horses have been discovered dead at various locations around the county over the past two weeks. A large number of horses were effectively abandoned last year as the prolonged cold snap mean that the owners could not feed the animals.

Flooding has been the main difficulty for animals this year with a number of horses found dead in drains and wet areas in Kilmaley and Kilkishen in the past two week.

STAFF were optimistic yesterday that work on a new building for Ennis National School will start by Easter 2012. It follows confirmation from the Department of Education and Skills that the school can precede to construction next year.

The funding announcement means that the Board of Management can proceed to tender, appoint a contractor and start construction in 2012.

The tendering process has so far received 30 expressions of interest. Tendering is to be completed within six months with construction to last 12 to 18 months.

“We would like to get going with the tender process as soon as possible”, said Deputy Principal Tom Glynn yesterday.

Students were informed of the announcement at the school’s Christmas concert. Mr Glynn explained, “It was for the junior infants and it was kind of appropriate in a way given they will be the prime beneficiaries of the new building.”

The school has been located on the Kilrush Road near the town centre since 1971. A long running campaign for a new school building resulted in the Diocese of Killaloe donating a site at Ashline.

In addition to 32 classrooms, the new building will include rooms for our reading class, special education teachers and library. The building will have an energy rating and a level of disability access, which is ahead of current regulations.

A campaign has been underway for the past 12 months to raise money for sports facilities, which will include a full-size sports hall with dressing rooms and a playing pitch.

Mr Glynn added, “It’s been a very long campaign. We got great support over the years from parents, teachers, pupils and the various different Boards of Management. We also got great support from the Parish, Ennis Town Council, our political representatives. We’re ready to roll now that the money is there.”

The announcement was welcomed by a number of Clare TDs. Fine Gael TD, Joe Carey stated, “At present, there are 16 pre-fabricated classrooms in use to educate children at the school that has a student population of between 600 and 700. Parents and staff stuck with this issue and ensured their voices were heard over recent years and they must be congratulated for this.”

According to Fine Gael TD Pat Breen, “Teachers and pupils have had to put up with prefabs for a number of years, but today’s announcement paves the way for the construction of a new state of the art facility.”

Labour TD Michael McNamara said, “The town of Ennis has badly needed a new national school for some time and that has been reflected in the Minister’s announcement today. It will, of, also bring some employment in the short term.”

CLARE County Council services will be seriously affected in 2012 if income levels from the collection of rates that have been in the Draft Budget are not reached.

This worry has been sounded out by Clare County Manager Tom Coughlan this week in his financial report to councillors which has proposed to leave rates for the coming year at 2011 levels.

Mr Coughlan has confirmed that despite his admission of the fact that there “is an increasing level of vacant rated properties in the county” there will be no decrease in the rate that will remain at 72.99.

The decision not to cut rates for hard-pressed business had been blamed on the Government cut-backs that has seen Clare’s share of the Local Government Fund decreased by 5.45 per cent for 2012.

And, the county manager has warned that only by projecting for a greater level of efficiency in the running of the council’s financial affairs has the local authority been able to avoid increasing rates levels in 2012.

“Due to the fact that the household charge is being paid into the Local Development Fund and in the light of the continuing reduction in local government funding and income from local services, it has not been possible to provide for a decrease in rates in this Draft Budget,” Mr Coughlan has revealed.

“It is proposed to meet the ongoing reductions in funding through achieving efficiencies, as in previous years, and consequently an increase in the level of commercial rates is not provided for.

“The issues of a reduction in rates has been considered at a number of council meetings during 2011, and the consequence of such a reduction would have made clear to the elected members at those meetings,” added Mr Coughlan.

However, in acknowledging the hardships being endured by ratepayers, the county manager has pledged a flexible approach when it comes to collections during 2012, albeit the money will have to be collected to ensure that there will be not cutbacks to council services earmarked for the year.

“Clare County Council is acutely aware of the financial difficulties which our ratepayers are experiencing,” said Mr Coughlan, “and we are committed to adopting a practical approach in terms of facilitating ratepayers.

“However, I must emphasise that if the council does not receive the income which is identified in this budget, the maintenance of the levels of services which are planned in 2012 would be impacted,” he added.