Tynan condemns proposed rent hike for Cork City tenants

Boarded up council house in Cork City

500 empty housing units in Cork City alone

Workers Party Councillor Ted Tynan has hit out at proposals by Cork City Council to increase housing rents in order to cover the council’s Property Tax bill.  He described the 2014 estimates proposals as “death by a thousand cuts” for council services.

Cllr. Tynan also questioned a report leaked to RTE which showed 3,500 vacant council homes in the state.  He pointed out that there were 500 such units in Cork City alone.

“The proposal to pass on property tax to council tenants exposes the true nature of this tax”, said Cllr. Tynan”, “Firstly that this is not a property tax but rather a tax on the family home since non property owners are now expected to pay.  Secondly it demolishes the government’s claim that the Property Tax is about funding local government.  This is ludicrous when local government itself is levied with this tax and seeks to pass the charge on to its tenants.”

“Once again Cork City Council is being left seriously short of government funding.  The result will undoubtedly be massive additional cuts in council services, especially in the area of housing maintenance.    The council is unable to renovate the 500 empty dwellings it owns and offer them to some of those on the housing list.  To make things worse it has emerged that funding under the RAPID scheme for five Community Safety Wardens on council estates is not going to be paid next year meaning the probable loss of these key workers who play a vital role in combating anti-social behaviour, illegal dumping and other issues.”

Cllr. Tynan said there will be strong opposition to any attempt to increase rent, especially to levy the property tax onto tenants.  “Once again local government services in Cork are being decimated by an unholy alliance government, the city hall pact parties and management, Cork’s very own Troika of destruction.”, said Cllr. Tynan.

Budget a recipe for exploitation and pain says Tynan

Workers Party Councillor Ted Tynan has said that Tuesday's Budget is a recipe for exploitation and pain which is completely loaded in favour of the wealthy and contemptuous of the young, the old and the vulnerable.

Cllr. Tynan said that the cuts in the budget were some of the meanest yet and would heap misery on hardship for families and those whose needs were greatest.  He said the 66% increase in  prescription charges for medical card holders, the scrapping of the free telephone allowance for the elderly and of the once-off bereavement grant were amongst the most vicious cuts but he felt that many more hidden cuts would emerge over the next few days.

“This is far from being a jobs budget” said Cllr Tynan, “in fact the budget is devoid of a job creation strategy.  Instead the coalition’s plan is to starve the unemployed and particularly the young into emigrating or taking up underpaid and grossly exploitative work under the worst possible terms and conditions.  In this centenary year of the 1913 Lockout employers are rubbing their hands together with glee at the prospect of cowed workers and a silenced trade union movement”

Councillor Tynan concluded by singling out the Labour Party for a stinging rebuke. “Yesterday the Labour Party threw its own 2011 election manifesto into the bonfire. Gone is the commitment to fairness, gone is their promise of a universal insurance-based health system and gone is their last shred of credibility.  If they have any remaining self-respect then they too should depart the scene sooner rather than later”, said Cllr. Tynan.

Labour suggest it's 'reasonable' to deny student grants

It was announced today that Mary McAlesse was appointed Chair of a High Level EU Group for Higher Education. McAleese was quoted as saying that her goal is to 'ensure that every student, regardless of where they live or study in Europe, will benefit from quality teaching'. Nice sentiment. The former President is, presumably, as outraged as I am at the news that some local authorities are threatening to deny students access to third level education by withholding their grants if their parents have not paid the Household Charge. It is entirely appalling that a denial of education is being used to squeeze the poor, and the Minister of Education Ruari Quinn should be ashamed of himself for suggesting that such behaviour is 'reasonable'. The Labour Party clearly feel it's 'reasonable' to deny the children of poor families an education in order to bail out bondholders and banks. It's an utter lie to suggest that the money from the Household Charge is going to local services, this money is only going to fill the gap created by cuts.