East Wall Matters – Summer 2024

THANK YOU!

I want to sincerely thank you for your support in the Local Elections, where I secured 1,143 first preference votes and in doing so, topped the poll and won the first seat of seven! In East Wall, my vote increased by 44%. I wish to thank everyone who supported me and to commit in continuing to work on your behalf and that of your family and the East Wall community on Dublin City Council.

If there is ever any issue where I can be of help to you or your family, please get in touch with me. You can contact me by:

• PHONE / TEXT / WhatsApp:                     086 847 1720
• EMAIL:                                                          RayMcAdam@gmail.com
• INSTAGRAM:                                               @Ray.McAdam
• TWITTER:                                                      @RayMcAdam
• TIKTOK:                                                         @RayMcAdam
• FACEBOOK:                                                  Councillor Ray Mc Adam
• WEBSITE:                                                      www.RayMcAdam.com

DELIVERING FOR DUBLIN

Since the Local Elections on June 7th, I worked with Councillors from my own party in Fine Gael, and from the Greens, Fianna Fáil and Labour to secure an agreement as to how best we can, collectively deliver for Dubliners. Such an agreement was reached. It is one that seeks to deliver better council services which in turn will help clean up Dublin, tackle housing supply and maintenance challenges, upgrade our roads and footpaths, improve the availability of sporting and recreational facilities and enhance road and pedestrian safety across the city. The agreement is based on transparency, openness and honesty and I look forward to working with colleagues on all sides to deliver for the North Inner City and Dubliners all across this city over the next five years. Some of the key aspects of this agreement include:

• The streets across the city will be maintained to a high level of cleanliness – delivered by increased budget for cleaning and waste services, hiring more direct labour staff and equipment, developing new street warden roles, implementing a new approach to commercial and bagged waste, and revising related bye-laws.
• The Council will expand direct build of public and affordable housing projects on council-owned sites. The Council will also maximise the use of existing buildings such as above shops, office blocks, and derelict sites, through both adaptive reuse and meanwhile uses, for housing, arts and community use.
• Funding for housing maintenance to address poor conditions in council homes will be increased and a charter for timely maintenance works will be put in place.
• The Dublin Bikes and BikeBunker networks will be expanded, along with greater priority to EV charging for the city.
• The Dublin City Council Sports Plan, including delivery of more quality facilities, will be prioritised.

A full copy of the Delivering for Dublin agreement is available online at www.RayMcAdam.com.

NORTH INNER CITY MATTRESS AMNESTY

Dublin City Council, through the Anti-Dumping Initiative 2024, is organising a Mattress Amnesty. The Central Area Mattress Removal scheme will take place between 15th – 19th July 2024. All those interested must be registered by the 8th July to ensure inclusion. Mattresses will be collected from homes throughout the Central Area by Cirtex Ltd., an independent Contractor who breaks down and recycles the mattresses. If you are interested in availing of this service, please contact the City Council’s Public Domain Unit. The office can be contacted by:

• EMAIL: mattressamnestyca@dublincity.ie
• PHONE: 1800 247 348

Mattresses will not be collected if interest is not registered in advance of the proposed collection dates. A maximum of 3 mattresses per address will be removed. Mattresses must be clean and dry. This initiative does NOT involve bed bases or frames. NO other waste will be removed as part of this initiative. Anyone who signs up for the mattress collection, will receive a phone call the day of collection to confirm an approximate time for removal. Any mattresses left on the public footpath without prior confirmation of removal will be considered illegally dumped and could result in prosecution.

EIRGRID POWERING UP DUBLIN CONSULTATION

EirGrid, the State-owned company which is responsible for the development, maintenance and operation of our electricity grid is working to enhance electricity provision of the city, through its Powering Up Dublin Programme. This initiative is designed to strengthen key electricity infrastructure in Dublin and the surrounding areas, as well as helping to make Ireland ‘renewable ready’. As part of the Powering Up Dublin programme, EirGrid has advised me that a new 220kV/110kV Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) has been identified as the best solution to address the city’s growing electricity demand. This GIS will connect into one of the existing underground 220 kV circuits in the North Inner City. The location of the proposed substations is at a vacant ESB-owned carpark and brown field site on East Wall Road. The location is approximately 50m from the Finglas – Shellybanks 220kV circuit which runs along the northern side of the M50. It is proposed to construct a 220kV/110kV Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) at this site over the coming years. In order to make sure you have more information about this initiative and what it may mean for East Wall, two community consultative meetings have organised across the next ten days. These events are scheduled to take place on:

• June 26^th: 4pm – 8pm: St. Joseph’s Co-Ed Primary School, East Wall Road, Dublin 3.
• July 4^th: 11am – 3pm: Sean O’Casey Community Centre, St. Mary’s Road, East Wall, Dublin 3.

I hope you will be able to attend these sessions, and I look forward to meeting you there. If you have amy questions or queries in the interim, please get in touch with me.

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL CLUB SUPPORT GRANT – OPEN!

Dublin City Council’s Club Support small grant scheme 2024 is now open for applications. This grant replaces the previous Sports for Young People small grant scheme. The grant is open to sports clubs that have participants of any age. The grant is open to clubs affiliated to a National Governing Body of Sport aiming to increase participation in sport and physical activity across all ages throughout Dublin City. The grant allocation is provided by Sport Ireland (through the National Local Sports Partnership Programme) and Dublin City Council. Grants typically range between €500 – €1,000. Please go to https://www.dcswphub.ie/clubs and scroll down to the section under DCSWP Club Support Small Grant Scheme 2024 to download the grant information booklet and access the online application form. If you or your club need any assistance in completing this form, please WhatsApp me on 086 – 847 1720 and I will help as best I can.

A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR POSITIVE AGEING

You might remember earlier this year; I delivered a leaflet across East Wall about positive ageing and the supports available through to State to help those living longer in our communities. We in Fine Gael have been experiencing this issue closely through our Policy Lab and a report was published recently detailing a raft of recommendations to ensure that life after retirement can be active, connected, respected, secure and independent, just as it was for people before. Today, an Irish citizen has the longest life expectancy in Europe and a baby born this year in Ireland will live 25 years longer than a child born one hundred years ago. The enormous added value for society of longer lives is often lost because it is poorly understood. We need to stop thinking of longer lives as a “condition” and see the dividends being delivered by longevity. Many people lose social connections as a result of an abrupt end to working life, with little or no preparation for what is to come. This can and must change. A failure to deal with the new reality of longevity impacts on personal well-being and also piles up long term costs on society. The enormous change in the family structures within which longer lives are being lived has not been adequately considered. As a consequence, the supports available often fail to meet peoples’ needs. Complex rules and inflexible arrangements mean many fall through the cracks. If you would like a copy of this report, please email me at RayMcAdam@gmail.com and I’ll share it with you.