Public Edition of ‘Contact’ To Be Launched

A public edition of the Sligo Local Authorities newsletter is being launched in December, with the first issue being circulated as an insert of the Sligo Champion on 22nd December 2004.

The newsletter will be distributed to staff in advance of general circulation. As it is being made available to the general public, the ‘internal’ news normally featured will be removed and will be placed in a re-vamped e-contact.. e.g., Social news, training, appointment/transfer of staff, government circulars.

We will be looking to staff for feedback on the new format of newsletter. With this in mind we would ask for your comments and suggestions on the November e-Contact and December Contact. Your views will be taken on board in reviewing the publications early in the New Year.

Bord Pleanala Publish Annual Report

Bord Pleanala’s Annual Report for 2003 was published last week. In a press release issued with the report, the Chairperson of the Board, John O’Connor regretted ‘ the increasing tendency for some people, when they did not get the decision they wanted from the Board, to cast aspersions on the Board’s independence.’ Mr O’Connor went on to emphasise the transparency of the appeals process.. ‘The Board’s procedures are very open, the full file is available to the public after each decision is made and each decision is accompanied by the reason for the Board’s decision and, where appropriate, the reason for not accepting the recommendation of the inspector in the case. The core principles of independence, impartiality and openness are fully respected by everyone in the Board.’

Some of the more interesting trends highlighted in the report:

• The percentage of local planning decisions appealed continues to be fairly constant at 7%
• The share of local decisions appealed which are reversed by the Board was 30%, down from 33% in 2002.
• First party appeals against refusal fared better in 2003, with 22% Resulting in grants of permission compared to 20% in 2002.
• Third party appeals against grants of permission were less Successful, resulting in 41% refusals compared to 45% in 2002.

To access the full report, visit www.pleanala.ie

First Water Meters Installed

Sligo is designated a ‘pilot county’ for water metering in the county. The aim of the pilot programme is to procure a comprehensive water metering and billing service of the non-domestic sector for Sligo County Council and Sligo Borough Council. All non-domestic consumers will be metered and charged for water by 2006. The new system is considered more equitable in that customers will only be charged for the amount of water consumed.

The contract for the project was awarded to Veolia Water, and in the last week they have started installing the water meters around the county. The first premises to receive meters were the Blue Lagoon, Riverside, and the Renault Garage in Carraroe.

Full report on the water metering programme will be featured in the December issue of ‘Contact’

Busy End of Year for Housing Section

December sees the commencement of four housing schemes by Sligo County Council, involving the construction of 32 houses. Phase one of the Ballisodare scheme will see the provision 18 houses - in all 28 houses will be built. 4 unit housing schemes are also underway in Ballymote and Riverstown, while a six unit social housing scheme is being developed in Bunninadden.

European Commission and Parliament 2004-2009

The European Parliament has 732 members, including 13 from the Republic of Ireland.

The European Commission is responsible for drafting EU laws for consideration and enactment by Parliament and Council.

The EU Council comprises the Heads o Government of all EU member states. It meets four times a year.

The Council of Ministers is made up of Government ministers from each of the EU Member States. The Council is responsible, jointly with the European Parliament, for making EU laws and drawing up the annual EU budget.

The thirteen Republic of Ireland members by constituency are:

• North West: Marian Harkin. Jim Higgins, Sean O Neachtain
• Dublin: Prionsias De Rossa, Mary Lou McDonald, Gay Mitchell, Eoin Ryan
• East: Liam Aylward, Avril Doyle, Mairead McGuinness
• South: Simon Coveney, Brian Crowley, Kathy Sinnott

The EU Constitutional Treaty was formally signed by all 25 EU Heads of Government in Rome on 29th October 2004. As with all EU treaties, it must be ratified by all Member states before coming into force. Lithuania is the first Member State to have ratified the Constitutional Treaty, by vote of parliament on 11th November 2004.

Ireland is one of ten countries committed to holding a referendum on the Treaty.

For further information visit www.europarl.ie

Sligo Features in Irish Times

Under the headline ‘Sligo has an aspiration to capitalise’ Irish Times Environment Editor Frank McDonald visited Sligo as part of his series on Regional Capitals. A brief extract from the feature:

‘Sligo has a spectacular setting, among the finest in Ireland. Situated like an hour-glass between Lough Gill and Sligo Bay, it is serenaded by the Garavogue River and flanked by Knocknarea and Benbulben, with the Ox Mountains to the south. This is, after all, WB Yeats country.

Just as Galway is a city that still feels like a town, at least in its centre, Sligo is a town that has thought of itself as a city since its heyday as a port in the 19th century. And it has grand civic buildings to prove it, notably the Romanesque City Hall and the Gothic Revival Courthouse.

Sean Martin, Sligo Borough Council’s Senior Architect, estimates that projects worth €300 million are on site in Sligo, with a similar amount in the pipeline. Urban renewal in recent years has transformed Rockwood Parade and the Market Yard.’

Copy of Frank McDonald’s feature available from Communications Office

Christmas Drink Driving Campaign 2004 Launched

Sligo County Council in conjunction with An Garda Siochana launched their annual Christmas Drink Driving Campaign for 2004 on Tuesday 30th November at the Sligo Park Hotel. Speaking at the event Superintendent Michael Staunton stressed that he hopes the message of safe driving gets across, particularly to the younger drivers. He warned that the Gardai will be in force out on the roads of Sligo over the festive season. He urged everyone to have a good Christmas but ensure that it we make it a safe one.