Minutes:
In Memoriam:
The Lord Mayor extended her sympathies on behalf of the City Council to the family and friends of the following:
Paddy Burke, brother of our colleague Councillor Christy Burke who sadly died on 15th July.
Councillor Anthony Flynn who died tragically on 18th August 2021. Cllr Flynn was first elected to the City Council to represent the Central Area in May 2019. He was an active member of the Housing SPC, the Lord Mayor’s Taskforce on Homelessness and the Dublin City Joint Policing Committee.
Pat Hume, wife of the late John Hume, who died on 2nd September 2021. Pat was a strong woman who in her own way played a prominent role in the peace process. She provided unwavering support to all those who worked for peace, particularly her husband John.
The Lord Mayor asked for a minutes silence as a sign of respect for those who had passed away.
The Lord Mayor invited representatives from all the political groups on the Council to speak on the passing of Cllr. Anthony Flynn. The Members expressed their sympathies to his family, friends and community who are suffering during this difficult time.
Congratulations:
The Lord Mayor congratulated all those from Dublin who participated in the Olympics and the Paralympics. In particular, Gold Medallists Kellie Harrington and Ellen Keane and Bronze Medallist Eimear Lambe. They have been invited individually in their family bubbles to the Mansion House for formal recognition on behalf of the city.
The Lord Mayor congratulated the Dublin Ladies Senior Footballers who had a tremendous season but were narrowly beaten by a great Meath team in the All Ireland Final.
Update Cllr. Mannix Flynn Motion:
The Lord Mayor informed Members that she had met with the Artane School of Music and Cllr. Flynn separately. She intended to host a meeting between the Artane School of Music and Cllr. Flynn later this month. The conclusion and vote on Cllr Flynn’s motion will be taken at the October meeting where it will the first motion on the agenda.
High Level Street Issues Group:
The Lord Mayor informed Members that in response to a number of incidents of city centre street assaults and anti-social behaviour, she met with Assistant Garda Commissioner, Anne Marie Cagney, and the North Central and South Central Chief Superintendents and separately with the Commissioner, Drew Harris. A request for greater Garda visibility on city centre streets was top of the agenda at both these meetings and a commitment to such visibility was forthcoming.
The Lord Mayor will chair the High Level Street Issues Group, previously chaired by Assistant Chief Executive Brendan Kenny. This group was formed as a response to the 2011 Better City for All publication, led by former Lord Mayor Gerry Breen. The Group will focus on actions to support street safety and an attractive public realm and to support those who find themselves homeless or engaging in substance misuse on the street. An Garda Siochána, DRHE, the HSE, Ana Liffey and the Director of City Recovery sit on the Group. The Group meets monthly and the Lord Mayor’s first meeting on the Group takes place this Friday. The Lord Mayor acknowledged the views of Group leaders regarding councillor representation on the Group and will be taking that on board.
Tender for Local Employment Services:
The Lord Mayor acknowledged the various Group representatives who attended a briefing on the proposed local employment service, provided by representatives of the local partnerships who provide such employment services across the city. At this briefing the local partnerships highlighted their concerns regarding the Department of Social Protection’s new approach for the next request for tender for local employment services anticipated to be issued later this year. In particular the potential requirement for them to financially front load service provision when they do not have such financial reserves and at a community level the potential loss of walk-ins to local partnerships, the potential loss of inter-agency referrals and a payment per placement approach that disregards the wrap around person centred approach currently at the centre of local partnership work.
Subsequent to that meeting the Lord Mayor wrote to Minister Humphreys and received a response from her on Friday, which acknowledged but did not address in detail the issues of concern. Both of those pieces of correspondence were circulated to the Members.
The Lord Mayor acknowledged the demonstration of local employment services workers held earlier today at government buildings and thanked Cllr. Sophie Nicoullaud for co-ordinating a statement of support from this Council for both unions involved, FORSA and SIPTU.
Freedom of the City:
The Lord Mayor thanked the Members for their suggestions for the Freedom of the City. She would consider all suitable persons before making a recommendation for bestowing the Freedom of the City early next year.
Development Plan:
The Lord Mayor acknowledged the concerns of some Members regarding the meeting proposals for the Development Plan. A meeting of Group Leaders will take place on 21st September to discuss how to manage the meetings and Councillor requirements
Pedestrianisation:
The Lord Mayor acknowledged the support from all Groups to extend the trial of weekend evening pedestrianisation of Capel Street and Parliament Street. She asked Members to encourage participation in the public consultation process on the future pedestrianisation. Group leaders agreed that the trial extension would also include the weekend of Friday 1st, Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd October. This issue will be included for discussion as a separate agenda item at the October Council meeting.
Afghanistan:
On behalf of the Council the Lord Mayor expressed concern for the many people in Afghanistan, particularly women and girls, who are having their democratic rights endangered by the Taliban. She extended her gratitude to the Irish soldiers who assisted in the evacuation of Irish citizens seeking to leave Afghanistan and called on the Irish Government to use its role as President of the UN Security Council, to advocate on the upholding of human and civil rights in Afghanistan.