{meta} Agenda item - Lord Mayor's Business

Agenda item

Minutes:

Congratulations:

·         The Lord Mayor congratulated Finglas Tidy Towns on winning Cities Section: Category One – Urban Neighbourhoods with a population under 3,000 in the Pride of Place Awards which were held in Killarney on 16th May. The Citation on the win read: “This is about a group, a driving force within the community, with a very strong volunteer base, who are passionate, inspirational, supportive and inclusive. They are building community AND having fun!”. The Lord Mayor on behalf of the City Council has sent a letter of congratulations to Philomena Byrne Murphy, Chairperson of the Group.

 

·         The Lord Mayor gave special mention to Trevor Clowry and the Bloomin Crumlin/Kimmage Clean-up group who received a runner-up award at the same Awards Ceremony. 

 

Visit to Ramallah:

The Lord Mayor briefed Members regarding  her trip Ramallah, Palestine last month with the Mayor of Fingal and Cathaoirleach of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Councils, which was at the invitation of the Mayor of Ramallah Mayor Issa Kassis.  As well as meeting with the Mayor himself and the Council members of Ramallah City Council, the group also met with the Irish Representative to Palestine, Don Sexton. The Lord Mayor wished to formally commend on the record the work he and his team are doing in the area, including their work in education supported by Irish Aid. 

 

The group visited Jerusalem where they met with Dr Brendan Ciarán Browne of Trinity College Dublin who is working collaboratively with the Al Quds University of Jerusalem on research into Bedouin displacement and the Norwegian Refugee Council monitoring displacement in the area.  They also met with the JAI’ Olive Tree Campaign in Bethlehem and representatives from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Hebron. The Lord Mayor thanked all who were involved with the visit which was a most informative and insightful experience.

           

Events

·         The Lord Mayor thanked the Members for their attendance at the Freedom of the City for Ailbhe Smyth, Prof Mary Aiken and Kellie Harrington on Saturday 11th June. It was a very special and memorable night for the recipients and the City.

 

·         The Lord Mayor’s Awards will be held on Thursday 23rd June. From a catering perspective the Lord Mayor reminded Members to respond to the invitation if you’ve note already done so.

 

Emergency Motions:

The Lord Mayor confirmed that no Emergency Motions would be taken but invited the Managers to make a statement on the matters raised.

 

John Flanagan reported that Dublin City Council have not changed or amended their policy on designated streets for bag collection within the city or have any plans to do so. Waste Management is aware that one provider is communicating to residents in relation to the take up of bin provision and early indications are that the streets targeted are not designated for bag collection. Waste Management will circulate a list of the designated streets for bag collection to the Members for clarification.

 

Brendan O’Brien confirmed that the Traffic Department are quite willing to implement the filtered permeability on Haverty Road as a stand-alone item and advance it as soon as possible. He proposed that a consultation process be instigated as soon as possible on this measure. A leaflet drop of the area would be arranged so that people are aware of the proposed change and can give their opinions. Following that a report and recommendation can be brought to the July Area Committee meeting and if agreed the change can be implemented immediately.

 

Richard Shakespeare gave the following update on the Iveagh Market. The mediation process has been ongoing and it is hoped that a way forward can be agreed very soon. While we cannot get into the detail of the mediation (due to its confidential nature), the Council is waiting on information from the other parties at this point. The litigation is back before the Commercial Court for mention (i.e. to update the Court) on Monday 20 June 2022. The City Council is aware that a recent inspection (last Thursday) confirmed that all entry points had been secured. While the City Council is not taking an active role in securing the buildings, it continues to observe the site generally and address concerns which are notified to it. The Manager will arrange for a meeting of the Group Leaders with our Senior Counsel in the next two weeks to appraise them of the status of the mediation process and the likely time period involved.

 

The Lord Mayor confirmed that she would write to An Bord Pleanála to seek a full report on planning decisions on applications in Dublin City which are affected or may be affected by the current review of decisions of the Bord arising out of recent very serious revelations and controversies.