Arklow Let Down by Councillors, says Doran

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Arklow Let Down by Councillors, says Doran

Monday, April 9 2007

The lives of ordinary people in Arklow could be improved dramatically if the town’s elected representatives had bothered to implement “simple things”, said Cllr. Pat Doran, who is running as an Independent candidate in the upcoming general election.

“If I was a councillor in the town, I’d be ashamed to canvass it,” said the Carnew-based county councillor after his weekend visit on the town’s streets. “I met older people who were virtual prisoners in their own homes because a ramp and rail has not been installed. Instead, they have to struggle up and down steep steps. In fact, they can’t leave their homes unless someone helps them. I also met a family with a son with special needs waiting four years for a purpose-built house. That’s just not good enough. These are simple things that any concerned councillor should be able to assist with.”

Cllr. Doran also called for a doubling of the essential repair grant. Available to people over 60, the grant of €9500 is used to adapt a house for an older person’s needs. “What can you do in a house for that amount of money? It’s just not realistic in today’s economic climate,” said Cllr. Doran. “And I also believe that the Disabled Person’s Grant (DPG) should be processed more quickly.” The grant of €22,000 is available for people to tailor their homes to their particular disability, but payments can take up to a year to process.

“The grant application goes first to the County Council, then the HSE, before the person’s needs are assessed by an appropriate professional. It takes too long. If you come out of hospital in severe back pain or with cancer, you need the improvements in your house now, not next year, when it might be too late.”

Delays are also unacceptable in improvements to Arklow’s water and sewage issues, said Cllr. Doran, a member of Wicklow County Council for 22 years. “Arklow Town Council bought the land for five bore holes to drill for water two years ago, and we’re still waiting for water. Not only that, but when they do drill for water, that land is lost to the farmer who loses the use of 200 metres around the bore hole because of fears of water contamination. The only solution to that is to extend the sewage pipes to the last well, which does away with contamination fears and makes that land viable again for the farmer.”

The town’s sewage difficulties also need immediate resolution, said Cllr Doran. “Pumping sewage into Arklow Bay is simply wrong. It’s an environmental and health hazard, not to mention the money lost to the town in tourism revenue. It’s just not good enough in this day and age.”

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