Meath County Council have launched its GoRemote campaign which seeks to highlight the opportunities for workers to do their jobs remotely either from their own homes or from a co-working hub.
Residents across Meath have the longest commuting times in the country with over 20% commuting over one hour to get to their jobs daily. This has a significant impact on not only their own lives but the quality of family life and the community around them.
10.6 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden
“Meath County Council calls government and regulators (Competition and Consumer Protection Commission) – to ban the practice of dual/discriminatory pricing of goods,
specifically by supermarkets by means of a membership system such as Rewards/Club
cards. This coercive practice unfairly discriminates and effectively forces an additional
condition on the sale of goods.”
9.5 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden
“Meath County Council utilises branding on solar-powered compacting litter bins to promote local authority projects, services and other appropriate initiatives.”
Response
The Council has introduced in excess of 150 Solar Powered Compacting Litter Bins across the six Municipal District areas. These bins are the subject of a maintenance contract with a supplier and the Council will investigate the possibility of utilising these bins as a method to promote Meath or to use as another method for awareness campaigns.
8.3 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden
“By Municipal District, how many designated Shared Spaces Zones are in County Meath?”
Response
Meath County Council currently do not have shared zones. We have approximately 109 slow zones which are used in housing estates that have a 30kph speed limit, the numbers per MD are as follows;
Ashbourne – 22
Kells – 22
Laytown – 10
Navan – 23
Ratoath – 22
Trim – 10
Slow zones utilise a similar sign to F404 in the Traffic Signs Manual.
Shared space zones are however being considered where appropriate on schemes in Ratoath, Navan and Dunboyne.
Transportation SPC – Notice of Question (Feb 2023)
Can Meath County Council investigate the possible use of and feasibility of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) Fuel for the fleet of council vehicles?
Response (May 2023)
Decarbonization of fleet is a priority for Meath County Council and will greatly aid organizational emissions reduction to achieve our 2030 targets, however, it is not without challenges for our larger sized fleet where EV or hydrogen technology is not fully proven or readily accessible. In order to strive towards our targets transitional options must be examined, including HVO. In developing transitional solutions, it is important that vehicles can continue to perform as present in terms of range, volume and load capacity, further to this an exercise is currently ongoing to ascertain our future resource needs(including fleet) in a changing environment.
Transportation Operations in collaboration with the Climate Action Team have commenced a trial of HVO in the Navan depot. Three vehicles from the Navan MD have
been assigned to the trial plus a Civil Defence vehicle from the adjacent HQ. The trial will run for a period of three months and may be extended for a further three months using a great number of vehicles. HVO fuel consumption will be monitored over the trial period as will vehicle performance.
In consideration of the longer term use of HVO or other alternative fuels there are number of considerations. Firstly, locations and size of the bunded tanks, some of our depots have restrictions on space or may require additional security if large volumes of fuel are to be stored, storage locations would have to be carefully considered to avoid unnecessary driving to re-fuel. Secondly, the fuel must be certified as fully sustainable, that is, made form waste oils and not from processes contributing to deforestation. Additionally, security of supply is important, that fuel is available on an ongoing basis with short lead in times.
It is recognised technology is constantly changing and the alternative fuels space is a dynamic one, Transportation will continue to engage with the sector to explore options and where appropriate participate in trials, consideration will need to be given on how best to procure alternative fuels and if there are economy of scales benefit in collaborating with other local authorities or agencies. The outcome of this trial will inform options for fleet across all directorates.
Over the years I have spoken about Nuclear Power in many contexts including Global Warming, Energy Security, Sustainability and Government Policy. Cllr. Alan Tobin also spoke on these issues and we share many views on the subject. In October I reached out to Cllr. Alan Tobin to co-sponsor a motion.
The Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 reads:
(6) An order under this section shall not provide for the use of nuclear fission for the generation of electricity.
This legislation has effectively stopped Ireland talking about Nuclear Energy. The purpose of the motion is for our country to have an honest debate about Nuclear energy and its possible role in our transition to low carbon electricity generation.
The motion does not propose or suggest renewables are not the future, they are but there is a difficult transition period ahead of us. Crucially, we don’t have the time. We believe a mix of nuclear and renewables is a viable solution for Ireland.
At the December 2022 meeting of Meath County Council our motion on the Electricity Regulation Act & Nuclear Power Generation was debated and passed by the members. The motion:
10.2 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden and Councillor Alan Tobin (Deferred fromOctober and November Meetings)
“Meath County Council calls on the Government to amend the Electricity Regulation Act and associated legislation to allow for the consideration and possible implementation of nuclear power generation in Ireland.”
The motion was sent to Government and to all local authorities for their consideration. We continue to work with elected members and groups so Ireland can have an honest debate on Nuclear Power Generation.
Here is a link to my notes that I worked from for the debate – Cllr Trevor Golden – Motion – Nuclear Power – Electricity Generation Act.pdf
Link to Meath Chronicle Article – Should nuclear power be generated in Ireland? – that is the question posed by two councillors at a Meath County Council meeting.
8.4 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden
“Can Meath County Council provide data, redacted as appropriate, in tabular form detailing the top 10 HAP Payments by cost. The data should include units provided, number of applicants housed and total cost for the year. This information is sought for each of the last 4 years (2018, 19, 20 & 21).”
Response:
HAP payments are managed on behalf of the sector by the HAP Shared Services Centre in Limerick and City Council. The information below was provided by the HAP Shared Services Centre. The recipient’s information has been redacted due to GDPR. It should be noted that the recipient as set out below may be a letting agent representing several landlords.
| Year | Entity | Properties | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Recipient 13 | 104 | €835,162.80 |
| Recipient 08 | 68 | €644,619.65 | |
| Recipient 14 | 23 | €172,297.60 | |
| Recipient 04 | 22 | €227,624.17 | |
| Recipient 11 | 22 | €166,991.57 | |
| Recipient 07 | 18 | €159,964.00 | |
| Recipient 03 | 16 | €142,056.22 | |
| Recipient 05 | 16 | €143,701.30 | |
| Recipient 12 | 16 | €171,020.04 | |
| Recipient 10 | 13 | €80,273.42 | |
| 318 | €2,743,710.77 | ||
| 2019 | Entity | Properties | Amount |
| Recipient 13 | 126 | €1,209,297.09 | |
| Recipient 08 | 68 | €798,589.86 | |
| Recipient 14 | 28 | €274,301.46 | |
| Recipient 11 | 23 | €208,470.46 | |
| Recipient 07 | 21 | €205,100.95 | |
| Recipient 04 | 19 | €179,500.91 | |
| Recipient 12 | 19 | €215,741.68 | |
| Recipient 03 | 17 | €195,256.31 | |
| Recipient 06 | 17 | €151,435.18 | |
| Recipient 10 | 17 | €117,674.18 | |
| 355 | €3,555,368.08 | ||
| 2020 | Entity | Properties | Amount |
| Recipient 13 | 134 | €1,381,920.82 | |
| Recipient 08 | 71 | €772,113.34 | |
| Recipient 14 | 31 | €331,874.82 | |
| Recipient 07 | 24 | €253,543.07 | |
| Recipient 05 | 23 | €207,693.83 | |
| Recipient 12 | 23 | €239,188.32 | |
| Recipient 11 | 22 | €204,025.99 | |
| Recipient 03 | 20 | €223,291.12 | |
| Recipient 06 | 18 | €179,842.05 | |
| Recipient 09 | 15 | €114,152.85 | |
| 381 | €3,907,646.21 | ||
| 2021 | Entity | Properties | Amount |
| Recipient 13 | 138 | €1,398,141.47 | |
| Recipient 08 | 64 | €686,502.21 | |
| Recipient 14 | 31 | €328,409.12 | |
| Recipient 03 | 26 | €203,446.18 | |
| Recipient 07 | 24 | €307,418.57 | |
| Recipient 11 | 23 | €229,814.23 | |
| Recipient 05 | 22 | €213,775.49 | |
| Recipient 12 | 20 | €198,683.01 | |
| Recipient 01 | 19 | €169,732.00 | |
| Recipient 02 | 18 | €166,820.58 | |
| 385 | €3,902,742.86 |
Clarification Requested:
With the GDPR not applying to data about companies or any other legal entities/legal persons, what are the names of agencies or bodies that have been redacted? In all situations where the intermediary/landlord is not a living natural person I would like the information.
Response:
| Entitiy | Reference |
|---|---|
| Anthony Byrne Property Services Limited | Rec 01 |
| Ballivor 3 Investments Ltd | Rec 02 |
| C & M Swift Property Services Ltd | Rec 03 |
| Doran Auctioneers Ltd T/A Doran Estates | Rec 04 |
| E&J Auctioneers & Consultants Ltd | Rec 05 |
| Hyland Property Management Ltd T/A Bohan Hyland & Associates | Rec 06 |
| John Ryan Auctioneers Ltd | Rec 07 |
| Ken Morgan Investment Property Ltd T/A Champion Lettings | Rec 08 |
| Lydon Farrell Property Limited | Rec 09 |
| Harlin Auctioneers | Rec 10 |
| Private individual. Name Redacted | Rec 11 |
| Pexxus Ltd | Rec 12 |
| Royal Rentals | Rec 13 |
| Smith Harrington Limited | Rec 14 |
The following dates have been arranged for sweeps of the villages in Trim Municipal District:
| Summerhill | Monday 22nd March 2021 |
| Longwood | Tuesday 23rd March 2021 |
| Clonard | Tuesday 23rd March 2021 |
| Rathmolyon | Tuesday 23rd March 2021 |
| Ballivor | Wednesday 24th March 2021 |
| Kildalkey | Wednesday 24th March 2021 |
| Enfield | Thursday 25th March 2021 |
| Enfield/Ring Road | Friday 26th March 2021 |
Funding has been secured for one pedestrian crossing in the vicinity of St John’s estate towards the Knightsbrook Roundabout on the Dublin Road, Trim. There is no funding for a second crossing at this location therefore the exact location of the crossing being installed will be carefully considered following an engineering evaluation. The money will be coming from sustainable transport funding in 2021 therefore works will not commence until at least the second quarter of 2021.
This follows on from a 2019 Notice of Motion and subsequent Report on Pedestrian Safety Newtown Bridge & R154 Pedestrian Crossing.
Meath County Council made a submission to the NTA for funding of various schemes under the Stimulus Plan announced by Government last month.
The NTA have now confirmed the projects to be funded and the related allocation amounts and below is a list of the schemes relevant to the Trim Municipal District.
| Road Number (or Street Name in Urban Areas) | Location of Proposed Scheme | Project Type and Brief Description |
| R-159-89 | Enfield | Provide new footpath to creche |
| Lackanash Road | Trim | Signalised pedestrian crossing |
| R-158-0 | Summerhill Road, Trim | Reconstruction / renewal of defective footpaths or cycle tracks. |
| R-161-0 | Navan Gate Street, Trim, | Reconstruction / renewal of defective footpaths or cycle tracks. |
| Enfield Village | Various locations in the village | Recent walkability studies identified several footpaths, cycleways/lanes that need upgrading in order to become more user friendly to users, wheelchair users, buggy users, older people etc. |
| Summerhill Village | Various locations in the village | Recent walkability studies identified several footpaths, cycleways/lanes that need upgrading in order to become more user friendly to users, wheelchair users, buggy users, older people etc. |
| R156 | Summerhill Village | Reconstruction/Renewal of defective footpaths or cycle tracks |
| Ribbontail Lane | Longwood | Surfacing new link to Royal Canal |