Depositing the ballot papers down at Castlebar Courthouse with Party Supporters,
Its showtime!!!!

Action needed on planning to stop population decline

The planning regulations that are stopping young couples building in rural areas, combined with the failure to provide proper road infrastructure and job opportunities is causing the decline in population in North Mayo.

I am responding to census data published by the C.S.O. that showed a declining population in large areas of North Mayo and other rural areas in the county.

We have had a situation in this county, whereby the Planning Office, in Mayo County Council, has acted like God in the way it has shaped the living patterns in this county. Today’s CSO figures have shown us the shape of what it has achieved-a drop in population in large sections of rural Mayo-, especially in North Mayo.

The Planning Office has adopted a policy of stopping young couples building in rural areas, forcing them into larger towns where developers can charge what they like for a home. This ridiculous policy, combined with a total lack of any initiatives to provide real employment outside of our major towns and an appalling rural road network, has lead to this serious decline in our rural population.

A new government must overhaul this ridiculous policy of closing up rural Ireland, by actively encouraging, rather than hindering, the settlement of young families in our rural villages. This will take serious investment in roads, broadband and incentives to attract local businesses to expand so that viable employment opportunities become available to rural families.

“I will be calling for a review of current planning regulations if elected and I will insist that state monies be made available to assist in the regeneration of all areas affected by poor planning policies by our local authority, poor road investment and a total failure of our government representatives to fight for investment in areas like North Mayo

ends: Harry Barrett 087 9713268….see CSO figures in Irish Times

GIVE US WI FI BROADBAND NOW!!!!!

This week I have called for Castlebar, Westport and Ballina to be made into a public access wireless broadband zone similar to UK cities such as Manchester and Birmingham.

I am calling on the Government and Mayo Co. Council to transform our town centres into a broadband wifi zone where anyone with a mobile phone or laptop computer could access the internet from any point within the zone. “Such a scheme is already in place in both Manchester and Birmingham, where it is possible to log-on to the internet from the comfort of a park bench in the centre of both cities . I am proposing that as a first-step, areas around Castlebar, Ballina and Westport should become a wireless zone for Mayo people. “

An ICT enabled Mayo town will be a hallmark of our urban areas as the 21st century progresses. It is a shame that there have been no real initiatives in Ireland to ensure that we might lead the way in providing widespread accessible and affordable internet access. The development of a public access wifi zone in Mayo towns would be a means to redress the balance in Mayo.

POST OFFICE CLOSURES AN ATTACK ON THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Up to 500 post offices could be closed by An Post after a review of the network to be completed this year. This in my view is an appalling attack on an important part of our community.

The postal network has already been decimated under the lifetime of the government. In 2000 there were around 1800 postal units in the network, yet this figure has now dropped to just 1300. Without doubt, these closures will affect many rural communities throughout Mayo

If 500 more post offices are to close down we could be left with less than 800 post offices throughout the whole country and whole communities may be forced to travel for miles to access essential postal services throuhout this county.

Postmasters and postmistresses in Mayo are right to protest at the utter lethargy shown by the government towards the postal sector. They have legitimate and deep frustration at low wages, poor working conditions, the increased attacks on post offices and the non-automation of nearly 400 post offices.

Too many communities around the county have already been devastated by the closure of their local post office, which plays a vital economic and social role in both rural and urban areas, especially for older people.

Pat Rabbitte and the Labour Party will continue to pressure the Government to do their duty for the Irish postal network and establish a proper postal strategy to secure the long-term survival of a nation-wide and viable post office network.