Category Archives: Latest News

We Must Protect Pensioners Medical Cards

An elderly couple wait to cross the road. Photograph Copyright Gary Knight https://www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/

An elderly couple wait to cross the road. Photograph Copyright Gary Knight https://www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/

Fianna Fáil General Election candidate for Kildare North Cllr Frank O’Rourke has strongly criticised the Government for targeting Pensioners for medical card cutbacks over the last year.

Cllr O’Rourke made the comments after receiving information which shows the Government removed 16,356 medical cards from pensioners between April 2014 and April 2015. Over 400 medical cards were removed from the pensioners in Kildare alone.   Continue reading

Eircom Undergrounding Complete in Celbridge

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Celbridge Main Street has finally seen all the Eircom cables under-grounded and the poles removed from the Castletown Gates to the Grotto. This project has been a long time coming for Celbridge.

The Celbridge Tidy Towns who worked with me on delivering this project has been looking to have this work carried out for over 20 years. The removal of the Eircom poles and wires have been highlighted on the Tidy Town’s report for many years now. It is fantastic to see this project complete and it has a brilliant positive impact on the Street scape.

The feed back and response from the public, businesses and the community in Celbridge is brilliant. This completed project compliments and enhances the wonderful work carried out by the Tidy Towns. I have campaigned to have all other unnecessary signs removed, new signs and poles installed and painted.

Working with the Tidy Towns we have also got new benches installed. The Main Street from the Castletown Gates to the Grotto looks amazing.

This was a project that I was committed too and is now delivered.

I want to thank the Tidy Towns, Kildare County Council Management & Staff together with Eircom for working with me on the delivery and completion of this project.

 

 

Draft KCC Litter Management Plan 2016-2019

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A copy of Kildare County Council’s Draft Litter Management Plan 2016-2019 is attached below.

This is being published until Friday 4th September and is open to public submissions. I would welcome any submissions or comments you may have. You can contact me on:

Ph: 087 255 5257 or email: frankorourke1@gmail.com

All submissions will be discussed at the Environment SPC in October before going to the council for discussion and adoption later in the year.

To view the report… download here

Photo Credit : Graftonarchitects.ie

New Celbridge Community School Update

It has been confirmed that discussions have been completed to situate the new school buildings on the North Kildare Eduacate Together site in Celbridge to allow school start up in September. This will allow the planning process to be completed for the temporary school on the Mooretown site and for the appointed contractor to carry out site works and construction once planning is obtained. Continue reading

Credit : wikipedia

FF welcomes Low Pay Commission’s recommendation

FF welcomes Low Pay Commission’s recommendation on minimum wage

 50 cent increase in line with FF proposal in minimum wage submission 
 Tax code must be simplified so wage increase does not result in PRSI hike
 Businesses compliant with wage increase should receive temporary PRSI reduction


Fianna Fáil has welcomed indications that the Low Pay Commission will today recommend an increase the National Minimum Wage to €9.15. Continue reading

M9 Motorway
Photo credit : csd75 
https://www.flickr.com/people/10353075@N00/

ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE : M9 NORTHBOUND

TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURE (ROADS ACT 1993)

NOTICE OF INTENTION

M9 Motorway

Kildare County Council gives notice, in accordance with Section 75 of the Roads Act 1993, that it intends to close the following road:

The M9 Northbound Between : Junction 3 (Athy) and Junction 2 (Kilcullen)

From: Monday 10th August 2015 at 9.00am

To:    Friday 14th August 2015 at 4.00pm

Continue reading

Plans to Solve Traffic Congestion at the Bridge in Celbridge — Underway

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At our meeting today the following has been agreed to progress in relation to the Liffey Bridge in Celbridge and the associated junction in an effort to improve travel times. I am pleased to give you the following positive update. This is a major issue for Celbridge for many years now and I have made this a priority of mine.

New Bridge: It was agreed that Kildare County Council Transport Department would progress to looking at Route Selection. This is the starting point of a long process which will look at and consider all options. Once this is complete the Council will report back. A complex process such as a New Bridge can only be progressed in stages.

Short Term Solution: The first phase of this is been progressed. It is proposed to restrict traffic from turning right at the junction after the bridge to assist in alleviating tail backs and congestion.This means as you exit Celbridge heading out the Dublin Road that you will not be able to turn right up the Hazelhatch Road or down the Ardclough Road. The full details of this proposal will go through a public consultation process known as a section 38. Drawing etc. will display the proposed traffic routes and movements.

A safety audit has to be carried out on this proposal before progressing it to a public consultation process. If the safety audit doesn’t  highlight any concerns then we are on the “road” to delivering long over due improvements at this location. This is a proposal I have been suggesting for some time and I am delighted to see the Council is now progressing it. This is a great opportunity to deliver change. I put this on the May Municipal District Meeting agenda to give it traction as did my colleague Cllr. Byrne.

I hope this can progress now as it is time the people of Celbridge see action. The next phase once this is complete is to put in new footpaths and cycle ways on either side of the bridge, remove the existing footpath from the bridge and straighten the parapets (walls) on the bridge. This proposal will also have to go through a design and public consultation process known as a part 8.

Any queries or for further information, please contact me.

Road Re-Surfacing works to Commence

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I am delighted to see that English Row in Celbridge is been re-surfaced next week (20th July). This work will be carried out at night time. In addition to this re-surfacing work, repairs will be carried out to the footpath and kerbs around the entrance to the Mill. I put down motions to the Council to have these works carried out. This is very positive and it is great to see all these improvements been carried out.

In addition to the above, re-surfacing works will be carried out in Willowbrook Lawns, Oldtown Road and in Dara Court. This will make a big difference to the Residents and all those that use our road network. I will continue to press Kildare County Council for further funding to enable these type of projects to be progressed and completed. I want to thank the Area Office Staff for their assistance on these issues.

Projects Delivered from L.P.T. Funding

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Despite the opposition from some quarters to the policy of securing LPT Funds for community and local works, I am delighted to have supported this policy and the benefits are now for all to see. Projects that are benefiting from the Fund are:

  1. New Pedestrian Crossing on the Hazelhatch Road in Celbridge. (Beside Wolstan Abbey)
  2. New footpath from Lishandra to Lock 13 Lane in Ardclough.
  3. New Pedestrian Crossing on the Clane Road in Celbridge. (Beside St. Raphael’s and Abbey Farm)
  4. Funding provided for Tea Lane Graveyard project.
  5. New Street Lighting along the stream in the green area of Vanessa Lawns & Close.
  6. Traffic Calming to be installed in the Celbridge\Leixlip M.D.
  7. Footpath repairs in estates such as Leixlip Park.
  8. Contribution towards phase 3 of the Eircom under-grounding.
  9. Many other Community projects funded in the Celbridge\Leixlip M.D area

New Benches Installed on Celbridge Main Street

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I am delighted to have worked with Celbridge Tidy Towns and Kildare County Council in securing funding to have two benches installed on the Main Street of Celbridge.

The benches are Stainless Steel and are of the highest standard. They look great and are installed on the footpaths on each side of the street near the wonderful Arthur Guinness Statue. These benches provide a very nice facility for people to sit on, have a chat and rest. They enhance the street scape in addition to all the recent work which I have requested the Council to carry out.

These projects include cleaning the chewing gum of the footpaths, removing the redundant parking signs and poles and the removal of the Eircom wires and poles which were long overdue and is now complete. The Main Street looks great and thanks to the Council Area office and staff for their great work.

It is a pleasure to work along side the Tidy Towns.