Category Archives: Notice of Question

Parking on Footpaths – Notice of Question

6 Notice of Question
6.1 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

For years 2022, 2023 and 2024 to date, how many tickets were issued for vehicles parked on footpaths?

RESPONSE:
Navan, Trim and Kells
2022 – Number of Fines: 422
2023 – Number of Fines: 423
2024 – January Number of Fines: 25


Trim Town
2022 – Number of Fines: 101
2023 – Number of Fines: 74
2024 – January Number of fines: 2

LED Upgrade of Public Lighting – Notice of Question

8 Notice of Question
8.4 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

“Can we have a progress report on the upgrade of public lighting to LED?”

Response
Meath County Council is part of the Eastern Regional Contract with eight other counties that is being lead by Kilkenny County Council. Project management and programme delivery are currently under review. The actual installation is not in line with initial planned timelines; the lead authority is in detailed discussions with the contractor in respect of accelerating the programme and endeavouring to make up the delays.

Housing – Notice of Question

8 Notice of Question
8.4 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

“How many houses were voluntarily surrendered back to the Council over the last 10 years?”

YearsHouse
Surrendered		Succession
Tenancy		Tenancy
Surrendered		Total
20140000
2015142521
20163112245
2017266739
20182015439
2019358245
20201321842
20213031465
20221816337
202314171041
20240000
Totals20112845374

Swift Cultural Centre – Notice of Question

8.5 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

“In the interests of representation and balance, will Meath County Council be revising the articles of association or current appointments for directors of Solstice Arts Centre to reflect the addition of the Swift Cultural Centre in the Trim Municipal District?”

Response

The Articles of Association will be reviewed following the expansion of services to include the Swift Cultural Centre.

Meath County Council HVO Trial – Notice of Question

8.5 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

“Can we have an update on the HVO trial please?”

Response
In April 2024, Meath County Council commenced a trial with 10 vehicles of various sizes, ranging from a small van up to a large truck. During this trial there were no issues reported with any of the vehicles and the feedback from the drivers shows no difference to driving performance or fuel usage. By the start of August, 5,827 litres of HVO had been used, resulting in a reduction of CO2 of 16,222kg which is the equivalent to an 88% reduction in CO2 emissions. Odometer readings are being used for each vehicle on the trial to generate the MPG for each vehicle to assess the efficiency of each vehicle and compare against other similar vehicles. As part of the trial, 9,000 litres of HVO was ordered and this is expected to be fully utilised by mid to late September. Following the completion of the trial, the costs and performance will be assessed.

Shared Space Zones – Notice of Question

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.

Housing Assistance Payment HAP Payments by Cost & Units – Notice of Question

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.

YearEntityPropertiesAmount
2018Recipient 13104€835,162.80
Recipient 0868€644,619.65
Recipient 1423€172,297.60
Recipient 0422€227,624.17
Recipient 1122€166,991.57
Recipient 0718€159,964.00
Recipient 0316€142,056.22
Recipient 0516€143,701.30
Recipient 1216€171,020.04
Recipient 1013€80,273.42
318€2,743,710.77
2019EntityPropertiesAmount
Recipient 13126€1,209,297.09
Recipient 0868€798,589.86
Recipient 1428€274,301.46
Recipient 1123€208,470.46
Recipient 0721€205,100.95
Recipient 0419€179,500.91
Recipient 1219€215,741.68
Recipient 0317€195,256.31
Recipient 0617€151,435.18
Recipient 1017€117,674.18
355€3,555,368.08
2020EntityPropertiesAmount
Recipient 13134€1,381,920.82
Recipient 0871€772,113.34
Recipient 1431€331,874.82
Recipient 0724€253,543.07
Recipient 0523€207,693.83
Recipient 1223€239,188.32
Recipient 1122€204,025.99
Recipient 0320€223,291.12
Recipient 0618€179,842.05
Recipient 0915€114,152.85
381€3,907,646.21
2021EntityPropertiesAmount
Recipient 13138€1,398,141.47
Recipient 0864€686,502.21
Recipient 1431€328,409.12
Recipient 0326€203,446.18
Recipient 0724€307,418.57
Recipient 1123€229,814.23
Recipient 0522€213,775.49
Recipient 1220€198,683.01
Recipient 0119€169,732.00
Recipient 0218€166,820.58
385€3,902,742.86
HAP Properties (Top 10) by cost for Meath County Council for years 2018 to 2021

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:

EntitiyReference
Anthony Byrne Property Services LimitedRec 01
Ballivor 3 Investments LtdRec 02
C & M Swift Property Services LtdRec 03
Doran Auctioneers Ltd T/A Doran EstatesRec 04
E&J Auctioneers & Consultants LtdRec 05
Hyland Property Management Ltd T/A Bohan Hyland & AssociatesRec 06
John Ryan Auctioneers LtdRec 07
Ken Morgan Investment Property Ltd T/A Champion LettingsRec 08
Lydon Farrell Property LimitedRec 09
Harlin AuctioneersRec 10
Private individual. Name RedactedRec 11
Pexxus LtdRec 12
Royal RentalsRec 13
Smith Harrington LimitedRec 14
Entity Mappings

Broadband (NBP) Contingency Plans

Meath County Council Ordinary Meeting
5th November 2018, Council Chamber

8 Notice of Question
8.1 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

Given delays and recent developments with the NBP, does Meath County Council have any contingency plans to assist rural communities/groups access broadband services or to assist operators provide service?

Response: Meath County Council, through the Broadband Officer, has been engaging with mobile phone companies to identify black spot areas, and to work with them to improve mobile phone and broadband services across the county. Possible sites on Meath County Council land have been put forward and are being reviewed and progressed where a match to need and site suitability is found. Several new sites on private lands have been completed in the last year and others are currently in development. The companies have all expressed an interest in developing further sites across the county. If any Councillor is interested in helping to improve services in their area by identifying possible locations, information on targeted blackspot areas is available from the Broadband Officer. For the safety and security of rural residents, as well as to improve their capabilities for social and economic growth, Co. Meath will need to improve its mobile phone and broadband coverage. In order to do this, additional mast sites are needed to improve coverage.Meath County Council will also apply for funding to provide free public Wi-Fi access in centres of public life through the WIFI4EU programme.

Link to Minutes on Meath County Council

Trim Burial Ground / Cemetery – Notice of Question

5.1 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

“Regarding a new burial ground for Trim can the following be clarified:

  • How many sites have been identified to date and were these identified by the local authority or a third party?
  • Is the local authority the only entity involved in the process or is the local authority in partnership with other entities?
  • How many sites, if any, have been identified as viable, what is the capacity/timeframe for delivery and supporting infrastructure required?”

Response:

  • 3 viable sites have been identified to date, lands at Loganstown, Dunganny and Dogstown. Site investigations were undertaken at the site in Loganstown and the found to be suitable for burials, an offer has been made on the 13 acre site
    and we await a response from the vendor. The other two sites have not progressed to site investigation stage but a desktop geological study has been undertaken and this suggests favourable ground conditions but, as always, must be verified by excavating trial pits. The site in Loganstown is also more favourable in terms of accessibility and proximity to the town. The sites in Loganstown and Dunganny were identified by MCC and the Dogtown site via an estate agent. Notifications for land for sale have also been set up on the major property selling websites.
  • MCC are the only entity involved in procuring new burial grounds and do not intend to partner with others. The site will offer a full range of interment options including traditional burials, green burials and columbarium walls for cremated remains.
  • See answer above. It is estimated it would take 6 months to develop the preliminary design, 6 months to take through Part 8 and develop detailed design, 6 months for tendering stage and assessment and 1 year to build, in total 2.5 years.

Notice of Question – Public Lighting LED Upgrades

8.3 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden
“What percentage of total street lighting has been upgraded to LED and what are the targets for the remaining upgrades?”

Response
Currently 8% of the public lighting in Co. Meath is provided by LED lights. Please note that there is a business case being prepared at national level, for the upgrading of the entire public lighting infrastructure. The outcome of this process will identify the types of products to be used and potential timelines for the financing of and undertaking the proposed upgrade works.