Sell-out and exaggeration claims in bitter Offaly wind energy split
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AMID allegations of sell-outs, underhanded activity, exaggeration and emotional rhetoric, Offaly councillors voted by the narrowest of margins against a proposal to exclude Lemanaghan Bog entirely from an area in the county where wind farms may be permitted.
Instead of adopting a motion from Cllr Ken Smollen for Lemanaghan s outright exclusion, the council opted by nine votes to eight to pass an amendment tabled by Cllr Frank Moran which seeks to create a turbine-free zone at least 700m wide around the monastic site founded by St Manchan.
Healthy Offaly plan doing well despite Covid-19 impact
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16 Apr 2021
Dermot Egan (left), Healthy Offaly coordinator, and Cllr John Carroll, Cathaoirleach, at the launch of last year s Longest Day Challenge (picture, Offaly County Council) );
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COVID-19 has had a serious impact on the roll-out of a programme to make Offaly people healthier, a council district meeting was told.
However, Dermot Egan, Healthy Ireland Offaly coordinator, said action had nonetheless taken place across a number of fronts under the State-funded scheme.
A Healthy Offaly Plan was adopted for the county in 2018 by the Offaly Local Community and Development Committee and a Healthy Offaly Team was established in March of that year with a €247,000 budget.
Motorcyclists ruining Offaly canal greenway
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YOUNG people riding motorbikes on the Grand Canal bank are ruining the amenity for everyone else, a councillor has complained.
There were calls for gardai to monitor the use of the canal and place barriers to prevent motorcyclists gaining access to the waterway.
Cllr Noel Cribbin said a lot of people had contacted him about the issue about motorbikes on the canal bank near Edenderry.
“I m also getting complaints from Tubberdaly in Rhode where the same carry-on is going on,” said Cllr Cribbin.
“It s taking away from what we have there, a fabulous walkway that s being used by hundreds of people. But there s a few people that just continuously come out onto the canal every other evening and they re causing havoc,” added the Fine Gael representative.
Bexley Council Proposals for councillors to forgo a 3% pay rise and donate the savings to community library services were rejected at last night s Bexley Full Council Meeting. A motion put forward by opposition Labour councillors would have seen around £42,000, saved by waiving planned increases in councillor allowances, instead spent on six community libraries in Bexley due to see there funding cut. But the move was rejected by Conservative and independent councillors. Wednesday night s Bexley Council meeting saw the budget for 2021/21 approved in full, including a number of cuts and job losses needed to balance the books after a challenging financial year.
Offaly councillors reject new bid to hike development charges
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OFFALY councillors have once again rejected a proposal for a further hike in development charges.
While they gave the go-ahead for the levies to go up at their January meeting, they shot down a second attempt to link them with increases in inflation.
Proposals to increase the charges – which are incurred by those involved in residential and commercial development - in line with inflation were put forward by council management and received the backing of Cllr Mark Hackett.
The Green Party councillor from Geashill said council staff had “spent months” working on their proposals and they were trying to match revenue with outgoings.