Agendas 2021

Agenda of October Ordinary Meeting of Sligo County Council to be held on Monday, 4th October 2021 at 10 am


Sligo County Council
Corporate Services,
County Hall,
Riverside,
Sligo

071 911 1111

28th September 2021

TO:  THE CATHAOIRLEACH AND EACH MEMBER OF SLIGO COUNTY COUNCIL

The Ordinary Meeting of Sligo County Council will be held:

ON:  Monday, 4th October 2021

AT:  10.00 a.m.

IN:  Council Chamber, County Hall, Riverside, Sligo.

You are requested to attend.

Kevin Colreavy
Meetings Administrator

 

CLÁR

  1. To note:
    1. Minutes of Sligo County Council’s Audit Committee meeting held on 20th July 2021.
    2. Report of Audit Committee on Statutory Audit Report for y/e 31st December 2020.
      (Copies attached).
  2. To note Minutes of Meeting of Ballymote-Tubbercurry Municipal District held on 21st June 2021 (Copy attached).
  3. To note Minutes of Annual General Meeting of Ballymote-Tubbercurry Municipal District held on 21st June 2021 (Copy attached).
  4. To confirm Minutes of Ordinary Meeting of Sligo County Council held on 6th September 2021 (Copy attached).
  5. To confirm Minutes of Adjourned Ordinary Meeting of Sligo County Council held on 20th September 2021 (Copy attached).
  6. To set dates for holding a) Municipal District Meetings to consider the draft Budgetary Plan and b) Sligo County Council 2022 Budget Meeting.
  7. To seek approval to borrowing a sum not exceeding €15m by way of temporary overdraft for the 12 months from 1st January, 2022 to 31st December 2022 (Report attached).
  8. To approve, pursuant to Section 183 of the Local Government Act 2001, the disposal of property at 21 Ard Laighne, Coolaney, Co Sligo to Maxine O’Boyle (Report previously circulated).
  9. To approve, pursuant to Section 183 of the Local Government Act 2001, the disposal of property at 13 Cuil Bui, Cloonacool, Co Sligo to Patrick Cooke (Report previously circulated).
  10. That Sligo County Council commence the process of taking in charge the development known as “Fairways”, Tubbercurry, Co Sligo by instigating the necessary procedures under Section 11 of the Roads Act 1993 to declare public the road serving the development (Report previously circulated).
  11. To approve, pursuant to Section 183 of the Local Government Act 2001, the disposal of No. 1, Charles Street, Sligo to Mr. Mark Barron (Report previously circulated).
  12. ‘Pursuant to Section 85 of the Local Government Act 2001 as amended Sligo County Council hereby agrees to enter into an Agreement with Dublin City Council, Kildare County Council and Wicklow County Council, whereby Dublin City Council will carry out all of the functions of these local authorities in respect of the Social Housing PPP (Bundle 3) Programme with the following exceptions:
    • the nomination of tenants to be housed in the social housing development in the relevant local authority’s functional area,
    • the calculation of the tenants’ differential rent,
    • the role of landlord under the tenancy agreements and
    • obtaining the necessary planning approvals and undertaking the public consultation procedures in respect of the development as required under the Planning and Development Acts and Regulations.
    It is hereby resolved under Section 85 of the Local Government Act 2001 as amended to enter into agreements with the local authorities listed above for the provision of the services as outlined above’  (Report previously circulated) - (Appendix 1 to follow).
  13. To note the Monthly Management Report for July/August 2021 (Report to follow).

 

DEFERRED MOTIONS

  1. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor J. Queenan and Councillor M. Clarke:
    “To call on Sligo County Council to activate Section 34 6 of the Planning Act so that the development of surfing accommodation on former IDA lands at Easkey, Co. Sligo can be considered for planning.”
  2. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor P. Taylor:
    “To Call on Sligo County Council to ask the Minister for Housing to: 
    1. Review and increase the Income Thresholds for Social Housing Applications.
    2. To ask that the Qualification Terms of the Tennant Purchase Scheme be reviewed to address the current situation whereby certain applicants do not qualify on grounds of earned income.”
  3. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor S. Maguire:
    “This council will replace and repair the access onto Culleenamore beach and make it wheelchair friendly. It has been degraded over the years and this will ensure safe access for all beach goers, and also install a disabled parking bay at the carpark.  In addition, the council will seek to secure funding for an additional beach wheelchair.”
  4. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor D. Bree:
    “Noting that in 2019, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission invited each local authority in the State to undertake a review of its provision of Traveller accommodation. The equality reviews to focus on failures nationally to draw down ring fenced capital funding to meet obligations on Traveller specific accommodation; and further noting that following the Review, the Commission, in July of this year, recommended that Sligo County Council should undertake eight specific actions to strengthen the level of equality of opportunity and non-discrimination in its systems for the provision of Traveller-specific accommodation services; this meeting therefore requests the Council executive to indicate what steps will now be taken to implement the eight recommendations of the Commission.”

 

MOTIONS

  1. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor M. Casserly:
    “That this Council in conjunction with Tusla, Dept of Children and Equality and the Gardai establish an appropriate and safe Refuge Centre for victims and survivors (mainly women) of domestic violence in Sligo and surrounding area.”
  2. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor M. Casserly:
    “That this Council prepare a report to ensure the inclusion of the entire county of Sligo in the Defective Concrete Blocks Scheme and that the scheme be revised to provide 100% redress to affected home owners. To also ask the department to include a mechanism to calculate the amount of redress on a per square metre basis so affected homeowners can reliably calculate costs taking into account construction price inflation.”
  3. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor M. Casserly:
    “To ask this council to carry out a survey and seek funding from the Department of Transport for a cycle/pedestrian path to be built between Rathcormac village and Drumcliff Churchyard.”
  4. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor S. Maguire:
    “To ask Sligo County Council to outline what steps can be taken to ensure pedestrian safety with regard to the crossings at the Rugby club, at the main car park and at the roundabout in Strandhill. These are not pedestrian crossings, which creates confusion for pedestrians and has resulted in several near misses. Are there plans to upgrade these to full pedestrian crossings? Inquiring as to whether there are any plans to upgrade the roundabout at Strandhill to ensure right of ways are observed and that pedestrians are protected when using it.”
  5. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor D. Mulvey:
    “I call on Sligo County Council to contact Water Safety Ireland and request that they carry out a risk assessment on the need for life saving ring buoys along the OwenBeg River walk at Coolaney.”
  6. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor D. Mulvey:
    “I ask if Sligo County Council has any update on my previous NOM calling for traffic calming measures for residents living in Keenaghan, Ballymote.”
  7. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor G. Mullaney:
    “To call on the Director of Services to provide a report on the number of applications received, value of grants committed, and value of grant paid under the following.
    1. Housing aid for Older People Grant
    2. Mobility Aid Grant.
    3. Housing Adaptation Grant for People with Disability.”
  8. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor S. Maguire:
    “This motion asks that Sligo County Council engage with Sligo Leader to conduct a feasibility study to ascertain possible options towards establishing a 50m pool in Sligo and engage with all local stakeholders in this regard including, Sligo IT, Sligo Sports Partnership, Regional Sports Centre and the swimming and triathlon clubs.”
  9. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor S. Maguire:
    “To ask Sligo County Council to investigate a possible location for a camper van aire along the quays in Sligo and conduct a feasibility study into its establishment.”
  10. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor T. Walsh and Councillor M. Baker:
    “To call on Sligo County Council to engage with Coola Post Primary on the provision of additional parking and improved set down area at Coola as school numbers continue to grow and consider same for CLÁR funding application under the next programme.”
  11. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor A. Gibbons:
    “To ask this council to write to the (Fianna Fáil) Minister for Health to demand that the government take action to address healthcare waiting lists, which have spiralled out of control for far too long.”
  12. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor D. Bree:
    “Conscious that the proposed appointment of former Minister Katherine Zappone as Special Envoy on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, without a transparent process, amounted to cronyism and fell below the standard of Government expected by the public; and noting the failure of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Simon Coveney, to credibly explain the manner in which the proposed appointment was handled; and the failure of the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, to sanction Minister Coveney; this Council commends those members of Dail Eireann who supported the recent motion of no confidence in Minister Coveney; and further we express our disapproval of those who voted confidence in Minister Coveney.”
  13. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor D. Bree:
    “That Sligo County Council again calls on Iarnród Éireann to provide an early morning commuter rail service from Longford serving all stations - Dromod, Carrick, Boyle, Ballymote, Collooney to Sligo, arriving in Sligo’s MacDiarmada Station before 9.00.a.m.”
  14. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor D. Bree:
    “That a report be provided in regard to the Council’s inspection of private rented accommodation, the report to include:
    1. Details of inspection targets, if any were set, for the number of private rented properties to be inspected by the Council during 2018 and during 2019 (targets which may have been set at the start of the year)?
    2. The number of inspection reports arising from inspections of private rented properties made available to tenants during 2018 and during 2019?
    3. How many prohibition notices were issued by the Council during 2018 and during 2019 in relation to private rented properties?
    4. How many dwellings were inspected by the Council during 2018 and 2019? How many of those dwellings were found to be non compliant with the regulations for standards in private rented accommodation?
    5. The total number of private rented properties inspected during 2018 and 2019 as a proportion (percentage) of the total number of registered tenancies in the county?
    6. The average cost per inspection?
    7. The number of properties which were inspected proactively - ie not arising from complaints or concerns raised with the Council, nor as a result of the council's responsibility to inspect private rented properties under the HAP and RAS schemes?
    8. The details of the Council’s policy for identifying properties for inspection?
    9. The most common reasons for non compliance with standards regulations?
    10. The number of follow-up inspections carried out during 2018 and 2019?
    11. The number of improvement notices issued in relation to private rented properties?
    12. The number of prosecutions brought by the Council in respect of non compliance with the regulations for standards in private rented accommodation?”
  15. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor T. Fox:
    “To ask this council for a report and update on the N16 Lugatober (Lugatober to Lugnagall) Road Development.”
  16. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor D. Gilroy and Councillor P. Taylor:
    “That Sligo County Council together with the Department of Defence provide suitable permanent accommodation for the Civil Defence service where all equipment such as jeeps, boats, safety equipment and trailers are stored at a singular location for rapid deployment and to avoid wasting time.”
  17. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor D. Gilroy:
    “To ask Sligo County Council to revise the “Online Planning Tools” viewer section of the Council Planning website to
    • Either make files available on other more popular Web Browsers along with Internet Explorer or if not possible place a loud banner on the “Online Planning Tools” to show clearly that files can only be viewed on Internet Explorer
    • Clear old files from the “Online Planning Tools” so that files that are no longer current are limited on what can be viewed online, so that the system cannot be used for illegal purposes such as learning the layout of a building so as to assist in a robbery from a building.”
  18. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor D. Gilroy:
    “To ask Irish Water to work with Sligo County Council to ensure that the new Sewage System that will connect Rosses Point with Sligo Main Drainage Wastewater Treatment Plant will allow for dwellings new and existing along the route to join in with the new link and be brought directly to the Sligo Main Drainage Wastewater Treatment Plant. This would help to reduce the need for on-site wastewater treatment systems along the route and would reduce the risk of pollution along the route.”
  19. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor R. O’Grady:
    “That Sligo County Council outline the number of car charging points in the county, and outline what plans are in place to increase the number available to the public.”
  20. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor R. O’Grady:
    “That Sligo County Council include the upgrading of the road and footpaths at Ashgrove Maugheraboy in the road works programme for 2022.”
  21. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor A. Gibbons:
    “That Sligo County Council commission an independent disability access audit on all the footpaths and roads within the full borough of Sligo town to use as a Map with all further works to be carried out. This audit would also identify where essential disabled parking bays are also required.”
  22. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor T. Walsh:
    “That Sligo County Council endorse the applications to the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund for Collooney and for Ballisodare in an effort to improve the village centres through re-designed public realm areas, walkways and addressing dereliction in both villages.

    That we write to the Minister for Rural and Community Development, the Tánaiste, An Taoiseach and Óireachtas members in Sligo/Leitrim relative to same.”
  23. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor R. O’Grady:
    “That Sligo County Council as a matter of urgency commence putting in place a plan to facilitate the needs of camper vans for 2022 season.”
  24. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor T. Walsh:
    “In March 2022 just under €2.6million was announced for Sligo under the Active Travel Programme.

    I ask Sligo County Council to provide update on all schemes, spend to date and projected timeline for completion of all projects.

    Project Code: Sligo 
    • Cycle parking €50,000
    • New Footpath Schemes A - Strandhill, Grange, Carney €195,000
    • New Footpath Schemes B - Ballygawley, Ballintogher, Coolaney , Rockfield, Collooney, Ballinafad, Carraroe €355,000
    • New Footpath Schemes C - Enniscrone, Geevagh, Tubbercurry, Sligo City €245,000
    • Footpath Improvement Schemes - Various locations in the City €400,000
    • Safe to Schools Programme - Support Infrastructure €100,000
    • Low Cost Junction Tightening/Pedestrian Crossing Schemes €300,000
    • Light Segregation Cycle Schemes €100,000
    • Transport Studies/ Urban Mobility Plans/Active Travel Network Plans €275,000
    • Low Cost Permeability Measures €100,000 SO/21/0011
    • Walking/Cycle Scheme €100,000 SO/21/0012
    • Footbridge Review €100,000
    • IT Sligo to Hyde Bridge Walking/Cycling scheme €100,000
    • Covid projects - permanent works €50,000
    • Upgrade Existing Junctions to an Urban Traffic Control system €125,000
      Total €2,595,000.”
  25. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor G. O’Boyle:
    “Sligo County Council calls on the HSE/CDNT to reinstate speech and language therapy and occupational therapy to Holy Family Preschool.”
  26. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor G. O’Boyle:
    “Sligo Council to develop a Domestic Violence Leave policy if not already done and to support Sligo businesses/organisations to do likewise.”
  27. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor G. O’Boyle:
    “Sligo County Council calls on Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris and Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien to take immediate action to rectify the current student housing/accommodation crisis that is affecting thousands of students across the state.”
  28. To consider the following motion as submitted by Councillor A. Gibbons:
    “That the roads department of this Council would carry out a full survey of what work need to be done to bring the road & footpaths in Thornhill up to a safe standard for the residents of the estate.”
  29. Votes of Sympathy.
  30. Votes of Congratulations.
  31. Conferences/Training.
    To note the summary of proceedings of conferences attended in accordance with Section 142(5) (f) of the Local Government Act, 2001.
  32. Correspondence:
    1. Copy of resolution passed by the Members of Donegal County Council regarding collection of LPT and commercial rates from those affected by Mica, Pyrite and Pyrrhotite.
    2. Acknowledgement e-mail dated 13th September 2021 from the Office of the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly T.D., regarding remuneration for frontline workers.
    3. Acknowledgement e-mail dated 13th September 2021 from the Office of the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly T.D., regarding vacant nursing and midwifery posts.
    4. Copy of resolution passed by the Members of Leitrim County Council regarding reinstatement of river drainage boards.
    5. Copy of resolution passed by the Members of Leitrim County Council regarding introduction of a comprehensive housing grant scheme for the renovation or reconstruction of old and derelict houses in rural areas and in towns and villages.
    6. Acknowledgement e-mail dated 14th September 2021 from the Office of the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly T.D., regarding healthcare workers compensation.
    7. Acknowledgement letter dated 13th September 2021 from the Office of An Taoiseach regarding remuneration for frontline workers.
    8. Copy of resolution passed by the Members of Clare County Council regarding Streetscape Enhancement Grant Scheme 2021.
    9. Acknowledgement e-mail dated 14th September 2021 from the Office of the CEO, HSE regarding vacant nursing and midwifery posts.
    10. Acknowledgement letter dated 16th September 2021 from the Office of The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, T.D., regarding remuneration for public health sector workers.
    11. Details of upcoming Conferences for Members in October 2021.
  33. Matters arising from Minutes.
  34. Any other business.

 


Meeting Date 04/10/2021