WE’RE TWINNING WITH HAINAN PROVINCE
WICKLOW is to twin with the Hainan Province of China, which is expected to bring significant benefits to the county.
At last week’s meeting of Wicklow County Council, executive officer with the council Christine Flood said that there was a report before the members to consider ‘entering into an arrangement for the establishment of a Sister County-Province relationship between Wicklow of Ireland and Hainan Province of the People’s Republic of China in accordance with S. 75 of the Local Government Act, 2001’.
She said that representatives from Hainan had visited Wicklow in 2015 and signed a letter of intent to enter into an agreement. She said this was the next step in the process adding it was proposed to sign the county-province relationship agreement on July 10.
Cllr Michael O’Connor wondered if there were financial implications for the agreement and wondered who’d foot the costs for any visits.
Ms Flood said that there were only minor costs associated with the agreements adding that the Chinese delegation cover their own travel
Cllr Timmins said that this is necessary to ensure the continuation of service when a warden is absent through holidays or ill health. Wicklow County Council has agreed to provide this list to schools across the county.
Grangecon racing monument
Wicklow County Council agreed to a proposal to erect a monument in Grangecon to recognise the achievements of people in the world of horse racing there. However, there is no funding in place for such monument at the moment.
Cllr Edward Timmins had laid down a notice of motion calling on the council to erect the monument in Grangecon to recognise the international achievements of people from the village in the world of horse racing and breeding.
The council heard that ‘should funding become available the council would consult with local artists’ regarding a monumnet.
Memorial walls in graveyards
Five memorial walls will be introduced in graveyards around Wicklow in the coming years.
At last week’s meeting of Wicklow County Council the members heard that there are plans to introduce a memorial wall in a graveyard in each of the five municipal districts before 2019.
The members were told that the first wall is planned for Springfield cemetery in Bray while the councillors from each of the other municipal districts will decide on the location of the wall in each of the other areas.
Contact details are out of date
A request was made at last week’s meeting of Wicklow to update the contact details for Wicklow County Council’s emergency plan.
Cllr Irene Winters said that she had recently had a look of the Major Emergency Plan for Wicklow and noticed that many of the contact details contained in it were out of date with many of those mentioned retired.
She asked if the list could be updated as soon as possible.
Ways extinguished
Members of Wicklow County Council agreed to extinguish two rights of way at last week’s meeting of the body.
The members agreed unanimously to extinguish the public right of way between 7 and 8 Seacourt, Newcastle, and also between 14 Seacourt and 2 Seamount Drive, Newcastle. HAINAN PROVINCE and accommodation costs. She said that the council would take them to various sights in Wicklow and there will be a number of business meetings.
‘There will be no significant costs but the long term benefits will be very significant in terms of business, education and tourism’, she said.
Cllr Nicola Lawless welcomed any future economic benefits that the council would reap but raised concerns that BALTINGLASS is the first priority for Wicklow County Council when it comes to local authority housing.
At last week’s meeting of Wicklow County Council the members were briefed on the council’s three-year capital budget plan for 2017 to 2019.
Director of services Joe Lane said there were a number of projects in the pipeline for the county and said that the council had looked at need and demand, establishing that Bray has the by entering the agreement that the council would effectively be condoning the human rights issues in China.
She suggested that the agreement should be reviewed in five years’ time to monitor its effectiveness.
Cllr John Ryan said: ‘this is a phenomenal opportunity. There are nine million people living in the province of Hainan and the potential for Wicklow is huge.’ most need and demand.
This is followed by Wicklow, Greystones, Arklow and Baltinglass. However, he said that Baltinglass didn’t receive any housing in the last plan and as such the council had earmarked the area for the first tranche of housing.
He said the new priority for the council is Baltinglass, Bray, Wicklow, Greystones, Arklow and finishing off in Bray.
Cllr Joe Behan said that young people on the housing list and those trying to get on the property ladder were finding it very difficult to get a roof over their head.
He said: ‘There’s just not enough supply. We have a duty of care to try to do something.
‘Instead of the Government giving subsidies to private landlords they should be giving money to the local authority to build houses. We are heading for, if we aren’t already in one, another property bubble, just 10 years after the last.’