As the economic crisis worsens and following the emergency budget at the beginning of the month the urgency to address the issue of Management Companies remains very high. The majority of residents object to paying the charge as a matter of principle. Now with rising direct & indirect taxes, pay cuts and job losses many more cannot afford to pay!. It is an absolute disgrace that the Fianna Fail / Green Party government has failed despite promises to bring forward legislation to deal with the injustice of estate management fees.  

On the completion of a residents door to door & postal survey of homes in Drynam Hall, a public meeting will discuss the findings and the way forward for the majority of residents seeking the removal of the management company. If you can get along please join us.

Kinsealy Inn
Thursday April 23rd
8PM

Demand government action to stop the Dublin Bus cuts!

Under the proposed Dublin Bus cuts, route 142 which was hard fought for by Holywell residents is due to be axed in the evenings! This would be a devastating blow to the local community in this area and cannot be allowed to happen. 

Side by side with this, the 41 routes which only operate by being supplemented by drivers from Harristown garage will be far less frequent, including at peak times. This would be an absolute disaster, virtually imprisoning residents in the area. 

In an overall sense the proposed cuts will have a big impact and will prevent thousands of commuters from travelling to work or school, and drive thousands more into their cars, adding to the existing gridlock. Thirty buses that currently operate will be taken out of use in Fingal. Battles fought by new communities in areas like Holywell to get buses to serve their areas will be lost as the service which in many cases has only been put in, will have to be taken out. 

Claims by some private operators that they will provide the service for less are false. These companies cherry-pick the lucrative routes and do not provide the service into the heart of the communities which enables the elderly and those with young children to get the bus near their homes.

Dublin Bus is implementing these cuts because they have expected losses of €31 million. Running a bus SERVICE costs money – public transport receives less government subsidy in Dublin than any other European city. This is the root of the problem. Expenditure on buses this year is a paltry 6% of what the government is spending on road projects! They will spend over €200 million in carbon credits as a result of the level of emissions, but won’t invest in a proper integrated public transport system. 

Maximum pressure must be put on Fianna Fail & the Greens in particular to ensure that sufficient funds are invested in Dublin Bus so that the cuts are avoided. In a recession all the statistics show that people need to use public transport more. The ridiculous scenario of buses being disposed of, only to be acquired again in the next year or two opens up. This is false economy. 

Every city needs public transport. As Dublin has no rail link to the airport, unlike anywhere else, a reliable bus service is even doubly important.  

Socialist Party local election candidate Brian Greene and Councillor Clare Daly are campaigning to stop these cuts. Contact us if you would like to get involved. Public pressure got the bus route through Holywell and pressure can stop this attack – phone Brian on 085-7116466, or Clare on 087-2415576

October 2008

Following on from a successful meeting organised by the Socialist Party on 16th September in the Kinsealy Inn on the management company rip off, residents in attendance agreed to form a campaign with the aim of abolishing the management company for houses and restructuring of the company for apartments only, with more accountability and regulation.

To further this aim it was agreed to launch a survey across the whole estate to establish the views of residents regarding Management Fees / Management Company / Agents & the taking in charge of the estate by Fingal County Council. Over the next few weeks some of your neighbours will be calling door to door to conduct the survey. To date the survey indicates an overwhelming number of people in Drynam Hall support the taking in charge of the estate. It has also been established that services such as street lighting are all ready being provided by Fingal County Council.

Once completed we will publish the results of the survey and step up the campaign for the abolition of estate management fees. ‘United the community can be successful’ as other communities in Fingal have demonstrated.

If you want to contact me on this or any other issue please do so.

leaflet issued by Brian Greene
local representative Socialist Party
email: brian at socialistparty.net