The #march4tipp group gave the powers that be two weeks in which to respond to the concerns of the people of the town. During the week, the Council responded with a statement that was published in The Nationalist. The Council’s statement is set out at the end of this article. The#march4tipp group has read and considered the statement issued by the Council. Now we respond.
Given that approximately five thousand people had taken to the streets to express their concerns about the town, we had hoped for a response that would give those people some hope; a feeling that their concerns had been listened to, and that things would be done to make things better. Unfortunately, and disappointingly, the Council’s response does none of that.
The Plan: More of the Same
The Council’s plan, according to their statement, is to do more of the same. The statement opens with the words “Plans are in place”. Yet, the statement fails to identify a single plan, other than continuing to do the same as it is currently doing. They list a range of initiatives that have been in place for years in every town throughout the County. There is no hint of treating Tipperary Town any differently, despite its massive unemployment levels, disadvantage and declining retail sector. “More of the same” and “the same as everywhere else” appears to be the plan.
There is ample and painful evidence throughout Tipperary Town that what they are currently doing is not working. Since the march, sadly, yet another Main Street business has closed its doors. The Council cannot continue to claim that what it is doing is remotely effective. Yet, their statement attempts to do exactly that.
In fact, their defence of their current policies is crushing in its avoidance of the reality on the streets of Tipperary Town. It is like nobody marched. Perhaps the Council thought that a collection of spin-like phrases such as “actively engaging with”, “acknowledges the concerns expressed” and “working together we can address these challenges” could substitute for actual plans to restore the town. Perhaps the Council thinks that the people who marched would settle for some spin and more of the same. We think not.
The Offence of Avoidance
One must wonder, when someone doesn’t answer a direct question, whether they do not have an answer, or they don’t want to just say “no”. A number of key issues were completely avoided in the Council’s response, namely;
- The impact of paid parking on the town’s retail and business sectors and the call to have it removed;
- The terrible condition of the roads in the town and the call to have the streets resurfaced;
- The intention of the Council to dig up the Main Street and Fr. Matthew Street for up to 18 months and the call to abandon that plan;
- The intention of the Council to remove parking spaces from the residents of Davitt Street and Church Street and the call to abandon that plan;
- The dereliction of the Irish House and the call for the Council to compulsorily purchase it;
- The dereliction of the Court House (owned by the Council) and the call to restore it;
- The dereliction of the Workhouse (owned by the Council) and the call to restore it;
- The status of their own recently mooted inner relief road in response to the call for a bypass of the town;
- The call for the Council to provide proper financial supports for the Canon Hayes Recreation Centre; and
- The call for creation of new incentives for start-up businesses and supports for struggling businesses.
In relation to these 10 items, the Council was completely non-responsive. Is it to be assumed that they intend to do nothing about these concerns? It seems so.
We believe that it is offensive to the people of the town to ignore their very real concerns, choosing instead to issue a spin-like defence of current Council practices and avoiding what we actually said. It is unacceptable simply to ignore peoples’ valid concerns, as expressed by thousands of people on 20 October in #march4tipp.
The Council’s Alleged Supports for Start-Ups
We have learned of two businesses that were confronted with massive development charges for wanting to improve buildings and create jobs. The charges were supposedly for Council-provided infrastructure like footpaths, public lighting, parking: things that are already in place and paid for.
The Council is speaking out of one side of its mouth when it talks about initiatives to support start-ups and out of the other side of its mouth when it looks for eye-watering payments up front from new business enterprises. Where a person cannot afford the charges and they do not proceed, the building doesn’t get improved, nobody gets a job and the Council gets no rates. Yet this appears to be part of the Council’s “support” of start-ups.
The Council also refers to its “rates incentives over three years for start up business” (sic). They fail to mention that there are many limitations to the incentive, such as having to pay your rates up front and apply to get the discount back, the premises having to have been vacant for at least six months and many other limitations and get-out clauses. We spoke to some people who started businesses in the town in recent years and none of them had been offered this “incentive”. Real incentive or spin?
The question for the people of the town is whether the Council’s “more of the same”, as described above, is good enough.
The Clock is Ticking
The two-week period given for responses to the concerns of the people of the town expires on Monday evening. No response from the national Government in relation to DEIS status for schools, a bypass or a Government Task Force has been received, despite there being three elected representatives of the main Government party in this area.
A decision will be made on Monday evening whether to call on the people to #march4tipp again. It will be unfortunate if this needs to happen. On the first march we were saying “listen to us”. They didn’t listen so now it becomes a matter of pride and determination. If we give up now, we will forever deserve what we get: more of the same.
Five thousand people marched. They ought to have been taken seriously by the Council, but they haven’t been. They wanted to hear about more urgent things than grants for hanging baskets.
We knocked on the door of the town on 20 October to see if there was a community there that cared. The people answered in their thousands. We care.
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The Council's Statement
"Plans are in place. Tipperary County Council and the Tipperary Local Enterprise Office are actively engaging with the Tipperary Town Centre Forum which is representative of the main stakeholders in the town and includes the Tipperary Chamber, Jobs4Tipp, Tidy Towns Committee, Town Appearance & Engagement Committee, Town Marketing Committee and the Tourism, Culture & Heritage Committee.
The creation of new jobs in the town is a priority. The Council is working with “Jobs4 Tipp” in developing a Digital Hub as a demonstration project. Tipperary County Council is also working with the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and others to realise job potential. The 87,000 sq. ft. Sky Innovation Park offers a real opportunity for the creation of new employment in the town. The Tipperary Local Enterprise Office (LEO) is working with 30 local firms in the Tipperary town area to progress their businesses and create new jobs.
The N24 Limerick to Waterford major road project/Tipperary town by-pass is critical to the future development of Tipperary Town and the West Tipperary area. The Council has submitted planning and financial assessments of this project to the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027 and will continue to raise this matter with the Department of Transport and with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) which has responsibility for major roads projects.
The tourism potential of the town and the West Tipperary area is being promoted through the Munster Vales tourism project set up by Tipperary County Council in collaboration with our colleagues in Limerick, Cork and Waterford. 11 familiarisation trips have been held to date including significant national and social media coverage.
Tipperary County Council has recently made an application for funding under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund to fund public realm works in the town and to provide a river walk along the River Ara.
Following the publication of the Council's Town Centre Initiative Plan in 2016, a broad range of supports and financial incentives were put in place to assist town centre retail and other businesses including the Retail-Commercial Incentive Scheme which provides rates incentives over 3 years for start up business and the Tipperary Town Streetscape Enhancement Scheme which provides grant aid to owners/occupiers of properties in the town to enhance their premises by painting, signage, hanging baskets etc.
On-line Trading Vouchers of up to €2,500 are available from the Tipperary Local Enterprise Office to support small businesses and enhance their on-line trading. To date, 7 businesses from Tipperary town have received tailored mentoring supports from the Entrepreneurial and Capability Development Programme. The Tipperary Local Enterprise Office also offers, on a monthly basis, business advice clinics from District Offices in Tipperary. A 10 week start your own business course commenced in the Tipperary Community Services Centre in early October.
The west Tipperary area has an active community sector which has delivered many valuable projects and services over the years. The Council's Scheme of Capital Grants for Community Facilities & Amenities has provided financial supports this year of over €80,000 in Tipperary Town and a further 10 projects in the town have been provided with supports this year under the Community Enhancement Programme.
The Council acknowledges the concerns expressed and the challenges that are faced. However, it must be appreciated that some of the issues identified are not within the Council's remit to resolve and will require the collaboration of a broad range of public sector bodies working in partnership with local community, voluntary, business and private sector organisations. For issues not within our remit, the Council is prepared to facilitate stakeholder engagement between the local community and relevant agencies.
Tipperary County Council, is committed to this process, is available to assist and engage and is confident that working together we can address these challenges"
