Hi Neil,

I listened with interest this morning to your show regarding Cllr Patricia Gosch’s motion on free parking in Cork City at weekends on the lead-up to Christmas. I had a similar motion that was outvoted by the Council two weeks ago in the Council Chamber. Interestingly Cllr Gosch was one of the 19 that voted against my motion in the Council Chamber two weeks ago! That’s politics for you. Cllr Gosch’s motion was defeated on Monday evening as it was the same motion as mine two weeks previously and hence her motion did not pass to the appropriate committee.

 

However, I do feel the motion, whoever brings it to the Chamber is an important one. We do need to provide incentives like free parking etc to keep the city alive and attract shoppers. You asked on your show this morning – why didn’t the Council push these motions through?- one is, yes, politics or course – political parties seem to be looking for their own political gain and not the city’s gain. Secondly, there also seems to be a naive attitude amongst many councillors that the city is ok and will weather the economic storm and someone out there will lead the city back to the boom times.

 

As a young Independent councillor, I’m appalled to see such politics and attitude in place. All councillors represent the people ultimately and not themselves. Action and leadership and not just words are wanted now. We need proper action and a plan to deal with the spiralling unemployment.

 

Neil I would like to call on the public to lobby their councillors and ask, well, what are they doing to try to bring Cork through this recession. Certainly, if the Councillors are not communicating with the local businesses and representing their concerns, then the Councillors need to be brought to task by the general public who ultimately elect them.

 

Thanks Neil,

Kieran McCarthy