That the council celebrate International Women’s Day this year by commemorating great Kildare female writers and options might include any or all of the following; Talks from current Kildare female writers; Maynooth University Event; Involve students schools – prize for short stories; Online writing workshop with Kildare writer/s; Online Concert with Kildare Female songwriters.

Report Issued by: Ms S Kavanagh, Director of Services Economic, Community & Cultural Development. : International women’s day is the 08 March and as this motion will be discussed on the 22 February, that allows only 2 weeks before the event to organise any events.

However, the Economic, Community & Cultural Directorate are happy to take on board the suggestions made for events for 2022.

My adjourned Full Council motion at February 22nd meeting, “That the council provide the register of procurement frameworks employed by the council including details of the start and end date of the framework, outlining any frameworks out of date.

Updated Report: The register of procurement frameworks originally issued to Council in January. Councillor McLoughlin Healy subsequently requested detail of suppliers where the framework listed ‘multiple suppliers’ or ‘3 suppliers’ – these have been updated in the attached register.

Cllr McLoughlin Healy subsequently asked for the suppliers for departments that have not listed them – however this register includes all suppliers that are used through procurement frameworks. Any other suppliers to Council are not procured using a framework.

Councillor McLoughlin Healy has sought clarity on the difference between the following categories:
– In contract
– Yes
– No
– Roll over
– Tendering
– Framework established

These are not categories in the procurement framework. However, to provide clarity with regards to the register attached:

The ‘Establishment Date’ is the date the framework was set up. The frameworks on the first tab are all currently in use by Kildare County Council.
• When setting up a framework it is usually done for a period of 1 – 4 years (with some exceptions), with 1 year renewal extensions built in. Exceptions are based on categories – so, for example, legal services which are a Title 3 service, can be for longer and can be awarded under more flexible arrangements.
• The renewal date is the next date where the contract is scheduled to be renewed/extended for a further year.
• The expiry date is the date the framework was originally due to end based on the original terms of the framework.

See attached Register–

My second motion at February 17th Municipal District meeting; “That this committee considers the attached guidelines as a starting point for open,  transparent, impactful allocation of LPT in the municipal district in the future (see  attached). Draft Kildare-Newbridge Guidelines for LPT spending 2017

Report issued by: Mr J Boland, District Manager. There are already guidelines which have only recently been put in place and  are considered to be functioning very well in all of the Municipal Districts. These were  drawn up by the Finance Committee, were considered by CPG, and approved by Full  Council in September 2019. From an overall governance perspective, it would be best to have consistency among all Municipal Districts. There is the further concern that  the proposed new guidelines may be unduly onerous in terms of interpretation and  subsequent application. In this context, the members will be aware of difficulties and  delays in the past in terms of deciding on LPT spend in the past in the case of Kildare Newbridge Municipal District. It is, however, pleasing to note that this is now fully  reconciled to date.

My second question at February 17th Municipal District meeting; ” Can the council provide the reports for the last traffic counts done around Caragh (to  include Caragh to Naas) Kilcullen, Rathangan, Kildare, Monasterevin and Newbridge  to include the locations of the counters, the dates and results/analysis?

Report : Raw data, collected as part of traffic surveys and counts and other data  collected as part of the ongoing work within the Roads, Transportation and Public  Safety Department (i.e., road construction levels, bridge structural calculations,  CCTV-generated data etc) requires a level of data cleansing prior to analysis and the  calculation of summary information. The release of raw data to a non-technical  audience would generate a level of queries, questions, verbal and written  explanations, and would create an onerous burden on the Department’s current  limited resources. 

My first question at February 17th Municipal District meeting ; “Can the council provide an update on plans and timeline for EV (Electric Vehicle)
charging points around the municipal district?

Report: There are no plans at present to install EV charging points in the Municipal  District. Roads, Transportation and Public Safety are currently engaging with relevant  stakeholders regarding the installation, maintenance and upgrade of EV charging  points across the county with consideration to be given to future proofing EV points,  cost analysis, including continued upgrade and maintenance. Current policy restricts  the installation of EV charging points to Off Street car parks only. A dedicated clearly  marked parking space must also be provided per charge point with adequate  enforcement measures in place to ensure access to EV which require charge.  Relevant Parking Bye Laws will also have to be reviewed/enacted once the optimal  locations are identified to ensure that the dedicated EV charging locations can be  enforced. Once the Department have more information the Members will be informed. 

My first motion at February 17th Municipal District meeting; “That the council provide a clear update and timeline for the Traffic Management Plan  for Newbridge, to include the last iteration of the Traffic Management Plan by the  National Transport Authority, which triggered the council taking over the design of the  plan again. 

Report: Kildare County Council are currently preparing a brief to commence the  tender process for the appointment of a consultant to undertake a comprehensive  Transport Strategy for Newbridge. This is one of a number of Transport Strategies being developed for urban centres in Kildare. It is anticipated that the strategy will be  tendered later in the year subject to the availability of resources.

My second motion at Wednesday 18th November MD meeting, “That this Municipal District Committee commit to adding sufficient LPT funding to any capital funding agreed to ensure the delivery of the playgrounds the council has identified are needed across the district; including the delivery of a playground in Newbridge as a priority and the delivery of playgrounds in Two Mile House, the Curragh Camp and Athgarvan by the end of this council’s term.

Here is the report issued by Mr S Wallace, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent, Economic Community and Cultural Development Department : The allocation of LPT for playgrounds is a matter for members. However in addition to funding, suitable sites would also have to be identified. Any work would also have to be considered in the context of commitments to existing projects and the staff resources to deliver them.

My adjourned motion at Wedneday 18th November MD meeting, “That the municipal district councillors consider allocating the €100,000 allocated for a youth amenity to a playground for Newbridge, identified and highlighted in the council’s Playstrategy as a known need, and seek clarity as to where the remaining funding might come from if we are to have a chance of the project being completed within the next few years.

Report issued by: Mr S Wallace, Senior Executive Parks Superintendent, Economic Community and Cultural Development Department : Funding for a second playground and Youth Amenity has been included in the Capital Programme which will be presented to members as part of the Annual Budget. €50k has been allocated for 2021 and €250k in 2022 for an additional playground. These figures are subject to confirmation in the Capital Programme that will be presented to members as part of the annual budget.

My first question at Wednesday 18th November MD meeting, “Can the council list all the potentially derelict properties in the municipal district brought to its attention (details provided) to include date of when the council first notified of each property, the procedures followed and the current status of each property?

Here is the report issued by: Mr J Boland, District Manager : The council investigates reports of dereliction and takes enforcement action in accordance with the Derelict Sites Act 1990 in an effort to have the dereliction abated. A derelict site is defined in the Act as any land which detracts, or is likely to detract, to a material degree from the amenity, character or appearance of land in the neighbourhood of the land in question because of –

(a) The existence of structures which are in a ruinous, derelict or dangerous condition

(b) The neglected, unsightly or objectionable condition of the land or any structures on the land

(c) The presence of litter, rubbish, debris or waste on the land.

If it is considered that issues can be easily remedied within a relatively short timeframe, the Council may work informally with a property owner instead of serving a legal notice and provide the owner(s) with a list of works and the opportunity to carry out such works before the site may be put on the Derelict Site Register. In other instances, the Council may serve a legal notice requiring works to be carried out, and many cases are resolved in this way and this approach is always the initial focus. The level of compliance in addressing derelict sites is often related to issues which ultimately resulted in the site becoming derelict in the first place — financial hardship, difficulties in financing development, legal or title disputes over ownership, estate issues following inheritance, receivership, property being abandoned, etc.

There can often be delays in progressing files due to difficulties in ascertaining the names of owners and accordingly, there is often recourse to land registry which can be time consuming. Indeed, disputes arising from title / probate tend to be the cause of many issues. Another contributor is the fall-out from the “Celtic Tiger” period where many commercial ventures went wrong. The issue of “derelict” may sometimes be subservient to more fundamental issues such as building control, breaches of planning / licensing which should be progressed using remedies other than derelict sites legislation.

It is also open to the local authority to compulsorily acquire under the 1990 Act, though this is rare as it can expose the Council to financial risk. Ultimately if cases are not resolved, following further notice, the site can be listed in the derelict sites register. As a general principle, a low number so registered is a positive sign (though often perceived otherwise) that cases are being resolved and that the council is being proactive. There are currently seven properties so registered. Aside from the derelict sites register, specifics in relation to ongoing cases are not publicly available. In addition, to release such details would not be in the public interest as it may impinge on the willingness of the public to report such matters. Regrettably the Council’s system does not provide a breakdown on a municipal district basis. However, the District Manager will have some additional stats, which are currently being extracted, for the forthcoming meeting.