‘I absolutely will be a TD for the whole of the county’
JENNIFER WHITMORE MAY STILL BE FINDING HER FEET AS A NEW TD BUT SHE ALREADY HAS A ‘TO DO’ LIST FORMING, WRITES EIMEAR DODD
Newly-elected Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore has promised to be a TD for the ‘whole county’.
Speaking to this paper last week, the Social Democrats TD is eager to address concerns about the clustering of the county’s five TDs in the north Wicklow area and plans to focus on building relationships across the county in the coming weeks.
After a mammoth two-day count, Deputy Whitmore secured the county’s second seat on the 14th count. Party co-leaders Roisin Shortall and Catherine Murphy and party staff joined Jennifer’s family, friends and campaign team at Shoreline Greystones to celebrate her achievement.
The response has been ‘fantastic,’ Jennifer said.
‘I haven’t even managed to get back to everyone who messaged me. It’s been a really great response. Even when I’m out and about, people are coming up to congratulate me and that’s really nice.’
Describing her first week as a ‘very steep learning curve’, it included ‘looking at all the logistical things, hiring of staff, getting offices organised, even simple things like email addresses and how to get in and out of Leinster House. It was a lot of the nuts and bolts in the first week. I think it will probably take quite a while to find my feet.’
Despite this, Deputy Whitmore is clear on her priorities noting there are a ‘few major issues that are really topical for Wicklow at the moment’ including a lack of school places. She has already met with parents from Coláiste Chraobh Abhann in Kilcoole on the matter.
‘That’s one issue we’re going to have to sort really quickly. We’re going to have to look at this as both an interim plan – because school places need to be sorted for September for those children – and, going forward, how we make sure that we’re not in this position again? Only a few months before they are due to start school, they don’t know what school they are going to.
‘I think we really need to examine what’s happened and work with the Department [of Education] to make sure this doesn’t happen again and all the needs of children all across Wicklow will be met by local schools.’
An outgoing member of Wicklow County Council for the Greystones Municipal District, Deputy Whitmore is ‘conscious’ of the anxiety about the impact of the county’s five TDs being based around the north Wicklow area on the rest of the county.
‘I’m very conscious and looking at ways that I can get out within the communities across the county in Arklow, Wicklow town and west Wicklow.
‘I will be meeting with the community pool group in west Wicklow over the coming weeks as well so it’s really starting to build up the relationships with each of the groups in those areas so that they feel that they do have that voice in the Dail. I feel that’s going to be really important.
‘There’s going to be a bit of time while the Government is being formed and I’ll use that time to build up those relationships and try to find out what the issues are in all the different areas.’
She continued: ‘It is really important because it would be an awful shame if people felt they didn’t have a TD representing them. I absolutely will be a TD for the whole county. I think it’s important that each of us are. But I will be focusing quite a lot on that over the coming weeks and months.’
Deputy Whitmore said community facilities and the N81 were high on the agenda of people living in west Wicklow. So too is the issue of public transport, which she wants to work on at a national and a local level.
‘I know the NTA is looking at local link services for each county and I want to feed into that to make sure that Wicklow gets the community bus service and routes that I think we need and would make a big difference.
‘At the moment, we have a very limited service in Wicklow and I think there’s a lot of potential to expand that.
Her ideal would be a series of community bus routes which would go round each of the main towns and between villages in the county.
‘I think it would make such a difference for our local economy and for elderly people trying to get to the shops, for kids trying to get to school and it would take a lot of the traffic off our roads. I will be engaging with the NTA on that.’
Proposed offshore wind farms could bring benefits to Arklow and the county.
‘There’s huge potential in Arklow to benefit from the plans for the offshore windfarms but I think it’s really important that we get in early and make sure that the community benefits and [it’s] not just large private organisations see the benefits.’
She is clear that the gains from these project should feed into towns like Arklow and Wicklow town and suggests ‘apprenticeship programmes set up to facilitate the work on these sites and the jobs come from the local area.’
Deputy Whitmore plans to ‘keep an eye on those proposals to make sure they fulfil the community needs’.
As for a constituency office, Deputy Whitmore says she will take some time to make a decision about its potential location.
‘I’m going to look at the best way to set something up and how to be the most effective. I haven’t really picked anywhere yet. I’m going to take time in doing that because I want to make sure I get it right.
‘It’s one of those things that you can’t really go back and change so I want to make sure I make the right decision. It will probably take me quite a few weeks to get that sewn up.’
While she does not rule out opening a second constituency office in the county, Jennifer strikes a note of caution due to the requirements of ‘having the resources to fund it and staff it.’
‘There might be other ways of being effective and linking in with the communities, I need to take a look at the different options available and what will give the best result that’s also good value for money.’
Last Thursday, Jennifer Whitmore attended her first day in the Dáil as a Wicklow TD. On a proud day for her family, her husband Tony and their four children watched from the Dáil gallery as the names of each of the elected TDs were called out by the Clerk of the Dáil.
I’M LOOKING AT WAYS THAT I CAN GET OUT WITHIN THE COMMUNITIES ACROSS ARKLOW, WICKLOW AND WEST WICKLOW... IT WOULD BE AN AWFUL SHAME IF PEOPLE FELT THEY DIDN’T HAVE A TD REPRESENTING THEM