Of the sites that I, as a Councillor, have had a say in the development of in recent years, e.g. (1) the Oscar Traynor Road site 853 new homes and (2) the O’Devaney Gardens site – 1,044 new homes I supported the building of homes on both sites from the outset, arguing for an equal divide of social homes and affordable purchase homes on both sites – and I will continue to do so as opportunities present themselves to me at City Council level.

On social housing, I will continue to support/argue for continued additional funding for the “Enhanced Works Programme” which is a really positive scheme that refurbishes homes (as opposed to regeneration schemes which demolish and rebuild and takes years to complete).

On private homes, continue to support and argue for more funding for the Disabled Persons Grant Scheme and Housing Aid for Older Persons Grant Scheme administered by Dublin City Council that improves conditions for private householders aged over 60 plus and includes roof repair/replacement; rewiring, repair/replace windows; provide central heating where none or broken beyond repair.

I am also seeking, and will continue to seek, additional resources at City Council level to be invested in the administration of the Croí Conaithe Scheme (vacant property refurbishment grant) so that applications can be processed at a much faster pace, (currently too slow, causing unnecessary stress for homeowners).

Change the way domestic waste is left out for collection in areas where there is no wheelie bin service. Changing the time when these bags are left out for collection and strictly enforcing leave out and collection times is one way as it would limit the time during which wildlife frequently accesses waste on city streets. Another way I believe would benefit the city and one which I’ve raised at City Council is the underground bin system** used in Liverpool**.

During a recent safety audit with our Women’s Committee (cross Party City Council Women’s Committee) we identified parts of the city centre that a decent power wash of the granite kerbing along certain streets would, (according to the women to took part in the audit with us, make the street feel cleaner and more inviting. The audit also found that constant maintenance of street lighting (bulb replacement when requried) was a key factor in feeling safe/unsafe in parts of the city.

The Croí Conaithe (Vacant Property Refurbishment) grant is a good scheme which I would argue should be made easier to avail of and also more investment in. Also, there are delays currently processing the applications through the City Council. At our last City Council meeting (and previously) I pressed Council management for an increased focus on processing times for grant approval because my constituents are being left waiting on decisions about their applications, which is costing applicants real money (rent for example), not just time. Also SEAI grant approval only last for six months so in some cases, constituents have to go through the SEAI process again, another reason we need to speed up the processing time in the decision making process.

Firstly we need people in the city to help generate a feeling of being safe. The more people we have in the city, the better, from a safety point of view. When people feel the city isn’t a safe place, they stay away, so it’s a catch 22. Life changed in the city during/after Covid and we need to address this by listening to what citizens are saying as to why they don’t feel safe and identify what needs to be done to bring about that change so we can bring more citizens into town.

I was involved in carrying out a “Safety Audit” in the city with the Dublin City Council’s Women’s Committee, (a dynamic cross Party committee), the outcome of which informed us that many of the issues contributing to a feeling of unsafeness are connected to how bright/dark an area is; street lighting/ unlit/ unused/ empty/ derelict private premises; lack of cleansing of footpaths contributing to the uninviting feeling of a place; broken footpaths and run down or dark unlight private buildings.

I would like to see a city working group with specific funding to “put right” the doable things as mentioned above.

Buses are most effective form of public transport (in terms of value for money and ease of provision) so we need to:

• Stop removing bus stops, such as the two stops on the Malahide Road at Danieli Road and Killester Avenue and the bus stop outside Brophy’s Opticians in Fairview (and the corresponding one across the road from Brophy’s) that have been servicing areas for years. Consider the hugely negative impact the removal of same will have on our vulnerable citizens and regular bus users and reverse these decisions.
• Attract more people the career of bus driver and ensure staff are kept saf respected and acknowledged for their work.
• Provide more buses on time with real time accurate information that commuters can rely on.
• Continue to have reduced rates for cross city fares.
• Market the huge benefits of bus services such as the N4, (Blanchardstown to Point Village) a route that does not go through the city, hence journey time is attractive.

Do an audit of footpaths and road surfaces in the city centre and set a specific budget for the:

• repair of footpaths;
• deep cleaning of footpaths;
• repair of potholes in the roads in the city centre.

On litter and waste in the city - make set times for leave out and collection of waste from businesses and households (that cannot accommodate wheelie bins) so as to avoid wildlife tearing open bags that are left out for collection. If we leave bags of waste out before midnight and they’re not collected until the following day, manor litter spots in our city streets will continue. We need to look for a longer term solution and perhaps create points where businesses and households (that cannot accommodate wheelie bins in their dwellings), can deposit their waste in a more robust manner similar to underground bins such as used by Liverpool City Council where wildlife cannot access same.

We need to listen to what people are saying about immigration/ asylum seeking, and address peoples’ concerns; explain what exactly in happening in terms of why immigrants and asylum seekers wish to come here, clearly explain the various systems that are in place in terms of those persons seeking asylum, those applying for work permits, citizenship etc so as to reduce the misinformation in our communities about this issue.

In relation to arson attacks I would constantly highlight the heavy penalties that exist in our legal system, that persons who engage in such horrendous activity will be subjected to, if/when convicted. Anyone who engages in such activity should face the full rigours of the law.

On the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment, education is key here to tackle this hate behavour.