Here are 18 reasons to get out and join this historic demonstration on Saturday 20th If you can get into Christchurch for 2pm lets show the Parties what we think a week before the election

1. Ireland is one of the most unequal countries in the European Union.

2. More than ten percent of people suffer from food poverty.

3. 1,500 children are living in emergency accommodation.

4. Lone parents – who are the most deprived group in the State with 63% already experiencing material deprivation – had their supports cut.

5. 36 percent of children experience multiple deprivation.

6. 73 families are becoming homeless every month.

7. 300,000 have emigrated since the current government took power.

8. Despite the enormous emigration figures, 200,000 are still in search of a job.

9. We have the second highest prevalence of low pay in the entire OECD.

10. There are 130,000 people on the social housing waiting lists

11. The Phoenix charity expects 50,000 families to lose their homes in the next few years.

12. We have the second highest prevalence of under-employment in the EU15 (ie 147,000 workers who want more hours but their employer will not give them those hours).

13. We have record numbers of people (600) waiting on trolleys in our underfunded public hospitals.

14. 470,000 people have nothing left to spend after all bills are paid and 1.7 million say they have less than €100 to spend after all essential bills have been paid.

15. The number of millionaires in Ireland has increased from 16,000 in 2008 to 91,000 in 2014.

16. Water charges will be continued unless we achieve real change in Dáil Éireann.

17. 37,000 families are in mortgage arrears of two years or more.

18. 11,000 patients have been waiting 18 months or more for an outpatient appointment.

The Water Services (No.2) Act 2013 transferred statutory responsibility for water services to Irish Water and provided for local authorities to act as agents for Irish Water and this relationship is expressed through the service level agreement. A service level agreement (SLA) was signed by Irish Water and South Dublin …County Council in December 2013 using an agreed template which was drawn up by Irish Water and the Local Authority Sector. The agreement will run for a period of 12 years and provides that the council will deliver water and waste water services as an agent of Irish Water. These services include:
• water treatment (operation and maintenance of treatment plants and reservoirs)
• water network and related operations (management of water supply, leak detection, repairs and maintenance of the networks and new connections to the network)
• waste water treatment and related operations (operation and maintenance of treatment plants and pumping stations)
• wastewater network operations (management, repairs and maintenance of the foul and combined sewer collection network, new connections to sewers)
• sampling and testing
• management, engineering and administrative support
• non domestic water billing and debt management
• regular reporting on activities
• the delivery of capital works

My Motion to scrap Irish Water was passed 24 to 10 @ SDCC November
council meeting. 23 for 10 against

On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General
Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation
and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are
essential to the realisation of all human rights.

In November 2002, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights adopted General Comment No. 15 on the right to water. Article
I.1 states that “The human right to water is indispensable for leading
a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of
other human rights”.

Some Irish water Facts

* Nine staff members are on salaries between EURO 125,000 and EURO 149,999,
while another 19 are paid between EURO 100,000 and EURO 124,999.
* In all, 165 staff will qualify for bonuses of up to 6.5% of their
salary, while 65 are set be paid an extra 14%.
* Irish Water’s PPS demand was pushed through after two-minute debate
at Dáil subcommittee
* During its set-up phase, Irish Water famously blew EURO 50m of
taxpayers’ money on consultancy fees.
* Irish Water’s proposed operational costs budget of EURO 1.68bn.
* EURO 180m set up costs.
* EURO 5.1m in top-up payments to 940 employees.
* Householders with a suspected water leak face a minimum call-out
charge of EURO 188 from Irish Water
* Also The company has also sought permission to charge a minimum
call-out fee for working out of office hours of EURO 282 for the first
hour and EURO 141 for any additional hour.

All this and more and on the other hand , In an environment where 10%
go to bed hungry and 21% of these are children , with the introduction
of an extra tax in the form of Universal social charges , extra tax of
Property tax , Utility bill increases , Travel Increases etc The
Government thought lets introduce a water charge. Let’s hit the Irish
people’s pockets again. Well a lot of Irish people are saying No way
we won’t pay and that The Bankers got a bailout we got sold out.

Put the water Meters into the same place as the PPARS HSE computer
system that wasted EURO 60m and the Electronic voting system that wasted
EURO 51m.

The people of Ireland are rising. We have had enough of water charges,
double taxes, Universal Social Charges and all other Austerity that
people have had to endure under Fine Gael and Labour government.
People have reached there limits.120,000 plus people have marched out
on to the streets and send a very Clear message to the Government
enough is enough.

I support and call for water charges to be scrapped. Enough is Enough
there is no more left to give. People are loosing there homes , people
are living in Poverty and people are struggling.

On 11-10-14 , 100,000 plus people marched in Solidarity against water charges I was glad to stand in solidarity with struggling families and people who are standing up and saying enough is enough. There is no more left to give. The Austerity is driving people to the edge. How people are meant to feed themselves , dress themselves and live meaningful lives is hard to understand. The Austerity and choices that Fine Gael and Labour have made have hurt many. It is time to stand up and say enough is enough.

My submission to SDCC Re The Local Property Tax

I wish to enter a submission to Lower the property tax and eventually scrap this additional tax. I believe the people have been lied to in regards to this unfair and unjust tax. Not one cent has gone to local Government since its introduction. On the Household Charge website (https://www.householdcharge.ie/) it says under frequently asked questions: What will the Household Charge finance? Revenues from the Household Charge will support the provision of local services. Internationally, local services are administered by local authorities and financed by local service charges. In Ireland, local authorities are responsible for, among other services, public parks; libraries; open spaces and leisure amenities; planning and development; fire and emergency services; maintenance and cleaning of streets and street lighting. These facilities benefit everyone.

Yes these Facilities benefit everyone but the truth is this Unfair and Unjust tax has not gone to Local Government. The people I represent are struggling to pay mortgages , bills , education , transport costs etc. . Many are having difficulty keeping a roof over their head and food on the table, never mind being forced to pay a Property tax and the upcoming water charges. I know through my voluntary work with St Vincent De Paul how much families are struggling. Local services are not the Bank Bailout. As an Irish Citizen I like many others paid a lot of stamp duty when I bought my house. It is most unfair and unjust to expect me and my constituents to doubly pay for our homes. Many endure long periods of paying their mortgage and varying interest rates in order to own a home.

I am totally opposed to the Property Tax on many levels but the least the council can do is reduce it in order to help struggling families.

Cllr Francis Timmons
Clondalkin Area Independent

I am raging that Labour/Fine Gael misled the public about the water charges cost before the Local / European Elections The Taoiseach said at that time that it would be around €240 per annum. It now transpires that, for a household with 2 adults, the average cost will be €278 which is nearly 20% more than we were led to believe.

For a household with 4 adults the cost will be an average of €482. Even that conceals the fact that many will pay vastly more than this after 2016 when the average costs to be recouped in order to run Irish Water will rise to €594.

I hope the Public will remember this when voting in the next General Election

My email reply back to Irish Water asking for input into Irish water.

Dear Representative

The Water charge is another extra attack on people’s income, following on from the Property Tax and years of Austerity. People are finding it hard to put food on their table and keep a roof over their head. I find the payment for a basic Human need and Right objectionable.

IRISH Water cost €180 million in total to establish itself, with €80 million of that going on outside consultants, This is a National disgrace when we have so many homeless and living on the Poverty line.

You will understand I do not support or encourage water metering and a water charge.

Cllr Francis Timmons
Clondalkin Area Independent

Cut Property Tax 15% gaining momentum and support. I need your votes to send a loud clear message to the council that ye want property tax cut by15%.This is the maximum amount Councillors can cut under current legislation.Vote 1 Francis Timmons this friday 23rd May to cut property tax bills.

Under the Property Tax law, each county council has the power to vary the tax in their area by plus or minus 15% from the beginning of 2015, and I am publicly declaring that I will put pressure on the council to take advantage of that legislation if I am elected onto the council. I don’t agree with the Property Tax or The water charges and would prefer to see both scrapped but this seems unlikely under this current Government.

Water rates and property charges are stealth taxes that are part of this governments unfair and unjust ongoing austerity measures that are leading to increased poverty. I do not support both taxes.