“Walk on by!”

Just over a week ago Ex Ophelia left these shores to be followed very quickly by the oh so terrifying, storm Brian.

Brian was never a name that, in all honesty, struck fear into any man (sorry Brians of this world)! To me, this name will be forever associated with the BBC children’s, stop animation TV series, “The Magic Roundabout”.

Those of a certain vintage, will recall that the snail in the Trilby hat, was called Brian. He never did anything exciting, or frightening for that matter. Episode after episode, he would do nothing more than wander ever so slowly and aimlessly, around the set and that roundabout. He attempted to dish out the odd piece of advice, but never an angry or cross word was uttered, by “Brian the snail”.

If these weather themed names were to be maintained, then I think that the next few storms should have been called; Coral, Dougal or Dylan and not forgetting Ermintrude, the pink coo! None of these names would strike terror into any human being.

Caroline is the next designated storm for Ireland and the UK. Followed, coincidently enough by a Dylan. I assume not identified with the dozy, lethargic rabbit, from “The Magic Roundabout”? Apparently named, after the real Bob Dylan! There is even an Iona, a Hector, a Larry and a Winifred!!! I doubt there’s a scary forename, amongst this year’s chosen 21.

Is it me or has anyone else noticed, that the storms bearing female specific gender, are more wrathful and angrier than the male counterparts? I know I may have just opened up an astronomic can of worms with this statement, but it does seem so!

In the midst of saying goodbye to one storm and welcoming another, the Government’s post-budget road trip was cancelled last week. On safety advice both Leo and Paschal, quite rightly, chose to park the company jet, save on a wee bit of fuel and leave visiting Waterford City and County until a future date.

There was much excitement in many a local Fine Gael Councillor’s household, with this imminent visit of the two most powerful men in Irish politics. We even heard on thegrapevine, that they were coming to announce securing the circa €61,000,000 for our North Quay development. Alas, we will have to wait just a wee bit longer for this project to get over the line. In the meantime we continue to anticipate and be intrigued by the many other reported developments apparently in the pipeline, supporting this SDZ.

I just hope that these two TDs actually manage to find their way to Waterford. To date, this Government’s record has not been overly encouraging. Let’s face it, we are a priority to neither of these Dublin-Centric power brokers.

No good news on the money front!

But fear not, as we read about Waterford taking the lead in building a tranche of brand new council houses. The work of one Councillor doing another solo run, apparently! Yet our Minister is also claiming credit for this miracle delivery, of 31 new housing units in Waterford City. Read the small print! You’ll see that these have been scheduled, planned, designed and talked about for some significant time. They should have been provided long before even Ex Ophelia appeared.

Red tape and bureaucratic shenanigans, by senior civil servants, conspire to hold this project up. Sounds familiar? Not for the first time we have had to wait for someone else to line up his or her ducks.

Building council houses on Local Authority owned land has to be a simple, quick process, doesn’t it? By all accounts it’s not. There are many, many hoops to jump through. Why does everything have to be sooooo complicated? Can we not just make the right decisions and deliver on the “Programme for Government”?

Ex Ophelia and Brian have walked right on by Waterford, en route to another destination. They came promising so much and gave us a very small insight into the dormant power of nature. I am sure that they’ve both left plenty in the tank.

Will we get as excited when Leo and Paschal next storm into our City? I leave that for you to consider, dear readers.

Our poor Ex, Ophelia!

You spend all your life preparing for the big moment. Practising and practising for all were worth. Constantly repeating the mantra “Correct practice makes perfect!” Growing and growing in size and power for that one spectacular entrance. You had “One chance, just one chance....” Your family and friends were watching expectantly. The media were gathered in ever increasing numbers.

Then, just as you started to approach Ireland, to become the first hurricane “On record”, those weather people downgraded you to an “Ex-hurricane” and changed your name to “Ex-Ophelia”!

Alas, we were still hit pretty hard - we all know the damage an angry “Ex” can do!

I spent early Monday morning clearing the last few wee bits and bobs in our walled garden. Hoping that this stoutly built barrier and our, luckily, North West facing aspect would be protected by the house. Well that was my thinking anyway. At the time of writing Ex-Ophelia was just starting to show her teeth and starting her relentless march into Waterford City.

There was the odd ping of debris, hitting the office window and trees were shedding leaves like no tomorrow. At least Winnie The Pooh would have been happy, “I don’t mind the leaves that are leaving. It is the leaves that are coming...” he famously said. Describing the avalanche of autumn leaves falling around his house. Come Tuesday morning, there will probably not be a tree in Ireland wearing any autumnal colours. Leaf blowers becoming redundant in Ireland this year, as Ex-Ophelia’s sorcery being supreme.

No doubt some brave and foolish souls, had ventured out to get that once in a lifetime, danger seeking selfie. Holding their camera phone tightly, to stop it being blowing away in the wind. Better still, trying to keep one of those ridiculous stick things steady, to frame the perfect storm. These selfish people put the lives of our emergency services at risk and getting that Facebook, Instagram, Twitter shot is not worth the jeopardy.

At least Ex-Ophelia has taken all our minds off a rather weak and non-eventful Dolly Mixture of a budget. Paschal “Use the Force Luke” Donohoe and his fearful leader Leo “Darth-Varadkar” had to cancel their budget road trip to the Sunny South East and Waterford City. Many had thought that, on this very voyage the dynamic duo would announce the loosening of the exchequer purse. Finally delivering, with no strings attached, the circa €61,000,000 for the infrastructural works, for our Strategic Development Zone, on the North Quays. Trust me, that auld rumour mill was working overtime last week.

 

Our Ex certainly put a BIG stop to that!!!

The Government cavalcade is simply going to drive right on past Waterford. No doubt heading off into the Wesht! Maybe they’ll find their way back to us on the return leg of the road trip? Och, how silly of me. I forgot they don’t have the satellite co-ordinates for Waterford City, do they?

In many ways, the story of ex-hurricane Ophelia could be a metaphor for Waterford City and County. The promise of something spectacular coming our way. The delivery of a game changing impact project for the whole population. A big announcement that will fix our economic woes.

We have waited and waited. There has been promise after promise broken. Deadline after deadline missed. Goal posts being moved at every single opportunity. Ministers and TDs ducking and diving, to avoid the eye of the storm. We always seem to end up with a downgrade. Something more palatable to the constituents of the people in power and yet little or no use to the people of Waterford.

It looks like we may well have to sit and wait for considerably more time, to encounter our first hurricane on record, to grace these shores.

Here’s some late, late good news to finish. Last weekend the magnificent Nationwide Team (with Brian and Suzie) were back in Waterford, filming a full programme with Waterford Camino Tours. The show will air in the spring of next year and will be hosted by the elegant Mary Kennedy. We really are so very lucky to have such support, for our City and County from this flagship RTE programme.

A colourful City?

At the time of writing, Minister Pascal "Use the Force" Luke Donohoe, would have been polishing the finer points of his 2018 Fine Gael Budget.

After being “Anointed” in June this year, to Leo’s Cabinet, as Minister of Finance, his wee primary school abacus has been dusted down and no doubt, never worked so hard. As TD after TD has demanded that their very own field of green deserves much, much more than their nearest neighbour.

There is NO sense of teamwork. Friendships are completely forgotten. Camaraderie goes out the window when budget time comes around. It is dog eat dog in the halls of power, in Leinster House.

I grant you, it is slightly more complicated this year, with the thin bonds holding this Government together. The sticking plaster is under tremendous strain, or so the spin would like you to believe. Yet, at the end of the day there is really very little between our two “Centre, right, left” parties and neither is going to step down from the seat of power just yet. There are deadlines to reach, in terms of securing pension rights, pay rises to accept and the feeling is that our next election may well be pushed out to 2019.

Just who, from Waterford, has been battering down the door to the Minister’s office in Upper Merrion Street? We have suspiciously heard very little from our two sitting Government TDs. You have to wonder just which side they’re batting for?

The jungle drums are beating out messages, telling us that the likes of our neighbouring Teflon TD, is working miracles for his Tipp constituents. Kilkenny’s new boy on the block, is steamrolling yet more investment into his county, to make up for the disappointment of their hurlers!

All around this wee green isle, deals were being done and papers signed, to advance parish pump politics. Something our elected few seem particularly bad at. We know the game plan, but just like some of our soccer teams, we find it impossible to stick to. When we need a “Plan B”, well, it is simply not there. Good in practice but poor in execution. “He talks a good game”, could be our political mantra.

Will Waterford be any better off once all the dust has settled on Budget Day 2018? Will the granny knot on Pascal’s purse strings be untied, affording Waterford much needed exchequer funding. Improving our access infrastructure, starting the North Quays, giving the South East proper cardiac care and delivering a REAL university for our region......I am not so sure.

Printed words will promise the earth, moon and stars, however I fear much of the same old, same old rhetoric. We have for far too long, been used to reading paragraph after paragraph of waffle. Commitment with absolutely NO substance, in how Waterford will likely benefit from the remote decisions being made, on our behalf, in the Dáil?

Don’t hold your breath! We are once again bottom of the pecking order and have been thrown the odd crumb or two. When will we ever get the chance to order, once again, from the à la carte menu?

My spirits were lifted on Sunday, despite this concerning backdrop. Once again I was involved in stewarding for the Solas Cancer Support Centre Run and Walk for Life. Having been Chair of the organising committee for the last two years, I was delighted to see the new committee run the most successful event to date.

The 5-mile walk, introduced in my first year as Chair of the RWFL in 2015, has as expected grown exponentially and has now become the main stay of the event. Well over 2,000 people took part in this the third walk. This annual event may now have become the biggest participatory event in Waterford.

A spectacular and solid sea of orange could be witnessed along The Quay and up The Mall.

Once again, I managed to get hold of a loud hailer. I positioned myself on the corner of John’s Street to bark, Sherk-like, instructions, to the runners and walkers. Then, I found myself balance on my push bike, cycling alongside the walkers, using the hailer to shout encouragement.

“Only 4-miles to go!” may well be my new calling card. 

It’s “Oh So Quiet!”

“Sssh, sssh, it’s oh so quiet....sssh, sssh and so peaceful until...” are the words from the first verse of that wonderfully weird, Icelandic singer Bjork’s, 1995 song. A year I remember very, very well. This was the year I would marry an Irish lassie and through the fickle fate of fortune, ultimately end up living here, in Waterford City. Settling with my young family, in January 2001 and I have no intention of moving on.

My during my time to date in Waterford there have been a number of issues constantly courting media attention. Cementing Waterford City as the economic gateway to the South East. Delivering University status for the WIT and not may I add to this argument not a fudged “Technological” status. The full Scotch Bonnet chilli version, with ALL the associated kudos. More importantly, with the necessary funding bells and whistles. Giving our youth the very same third level opportunities to enrol at a REAL university, just like the other four cities in Ireland. A regional hospital which provides “Adequate” services for the half a million population in the region. Finally, our fare share of IDA Foreign Direct Investment into Waterford, to service our economy.

The recently published statistics, by the IDA themselves, detailing activity for 2017 are inexcusable and indefensible. Only “Four”, yes “4”, visits in the first six months of this year! Quite clearly we need to work harder on our visibility. Not only did our NHS mobile catheterisation laboratory struggle to find us, but the IDA is now having trouble pinpointing Waterford on an Ordnance Survey map.

If Ireland Inc’s economic recovery is “Well underway”, according to Leo, it’s incomprehensible that Waterford has received only 0.016% of total potential FDI visits. Why is our Government Minister and absent TD, not screaming and shouting about this s*”@e statistic?

My calculator actually coughed with embarrassment, when trying to work out such a low, low percentage! No matter how much spin you put on this figure, it must indisputably show that Waterford is being ignored and quite literally wiped off the map, in terms of REAL regional development.

Yet, it is against this myopic back drop, we are seeing Local Property Tax to be increased by 2.5 % in 2018. The suggested proposal was 10%!!!! Commercial Rates will likely face a significant increase, in the forthcoming final Council budgetary meetings. Where are the people living who are making theses decision on our behalf? Are they living in such a cosseted, cocooned financial bubble that increases are irrelevant, given their own financial circumstances? 

Last week I wrote about the Council’s very own Indecon Report. This delivered an irrefutable argument for central exchequer funding, for our Strategic Development Zone on the North Quays. This report outlined just how tough our current economic circumstances are. When you add in the lack of IDA interest in Waterford, is it any wonder that our fragile economic recovery is miles behind the rest of Ireland? It cannot come as any surprise, that we have some of the lowest disposable incomes of any of the regions.

Yet, we constantly allow others to take more and more of our hard earned cash from our pockets, without as much as a whimper!

Lots of people are shocked and annoyed about having to pay more LPT and many have told me this is the case. Has anyone actually contacted their local Councillor and asked them “Why my LPT is going up?” “What is the increase actually paying for?” I am sure we would all, albeit reluctantly, pay a little bit more if this would ensure better services, better roads, better footpaths etc. Is that what this increase is essentially paying for? Are there not indications that all these budgetary lines are remaining the same, as in 2017?

 

Last week, we also saw the release of the much lauded National Planning Framework document, showing many new key performance indicators for Waterford. Regrettably, the language used, is once again far too vague on delivery. I for one, won’t be holding my breath, awaiting these miracles, for I’d surely suffocate!

Our perplexing ability, not to question so many of these issues, ensures that we will continue to remain on the bottom rung of the funding ladder.

What if your Local Property Tax was to go up?

“Well boi”, it’s that time of year once again!

Behind the closed, locked doors of City Hall and Dungarvan Civic Offices, our 32 Councillors will be, should be, fiddling with their calculators. (This is not a euphemism!) They’re deciding the Waterford City and County budget for 2018. But just what might this mean for you, the reader?

The actual process of passing and approving a “Balanced budget” is rather strange. As there is so much of the Executives’ budget that is quite literally “Untouchable”. In fact our Councillors can only change, alter or influence a rather small percentage of a much larger circa €130,000,000 budget. With the Lansdowne-Haddington-kick-the-can-down-the-Road agreements coming on stream, we could see pressure being heaped on our Council to contribute more to budgetary areas. Expected pay and pension increases that may not actually be covered by additional, supplementary central exchequer grants/funds. This of course means you and I have to pay for this.

You might recall, that our local news and media, covered many column inches, giving lots of radio snippets, about just how there could be absolutely NO Local Property Tax (LPT) or Commercial Rates increases for 2017. The Councillors agreed that the timing was NOT right!

What has changed in our economic outlook that makes increase charges to LPT and Commercial Rates, a very realistic possibility for 2018?

Look at highly regarded reports, such as the WIT “South East Economic Monitor” and more recently the Council’s very own, Indecon “Economic Cost Benefit Appraisal of the Waterford City Urban Renewal Scheme”. The Indecon document is the actual report, commissioned by the Council, submitted to Government for circa €61,000,000 of exchequer funding. Income that would make possible the alteration to infrastructural groundwork. Which in turn, would allow Saudi Arabia’s Fawaz Alhokair Group, to build on our Strategic Development Zone, on the North Quays.

Both of these reports detail and outline, in no uncertain terms, Waterford City/County and the wider South East region have some way to go, to catch up on the rest of the country’s “Green shoots of recovery”. In fact the gulf, excuse the pun, between some of the economic indicators is, in truth, quite jaw dropping. Disposable income, percentage of the population at risk of poverty, labour force participation rates, unemployment rates, third level attainment....and more besides, make for some incredibly grim reading.

But then we all know that the South East has been neglected by successive Governments for year, after year, after year.

The statistics produced, make an exceptionally compelling and concrete case for Government support for the Alhokair Group’s plans for the North Quays. I do hope that this money is forthcoming from this current Government. Kick starting a REAL recovery in Waterford and the wider South East region. One would also hope that any infrastructural funding would find its way to Waterford. Much, much faster than our rented, National Health Service mobile catheterisation laboratory did! (It has arrived! But then again you would know this, due to the “Trumpeting”, by a few on social media).

Oh and we must remember that with a local council election scheduled for 2019, next year is realistically, the only opportunity that our 32 brave men and women have, to impose punitive increases. Increases on both our LPT and that other easily reached cash cow, Commercial Rates. After all who would want to be imposing unpopular increases, when disproportionate door knocking is already pencilled into the diary?

Any increase, no matter how small, will affect our particularly local economy. Businesses and households are already extraordinarily tight for money, facing continued huge increases in car insurance, rising back to school costs, a spiralling cost of living, fuel expenses for both car and home inflating. Business overheads are also rising disproportionately, thus not reflecting where Waterford’s economy presently sits. The previously mentioned reports, back up just how tight we ALL are for money and disposable income is as rare as hen’s teeth.

What are we to do if increases are imposed by our elected 32 for 2018? Simply ask them directly;

“Why should I be paying more?” Above all, it’s imperative you take an interest in what your Councillors are doing for you and Waterford.

There are indeed mysterious forces at work!

No sooner had we just started to get over our team’s, oh so close All-Ireland hurling final exploits, when along comes another magnificent sporting success. Waterford FC, are promoted back to their rightful place in the Irish Premier League. A very significant achievement in the Blues chequered history. All the more remarkable when you consider that the team have had to drag themselves from the gutter of the lower echelons of first division football.

The new owner and assembled backroom team, have undoubtedly worked miracles, in an incredibly short period of time. Akin, perhaps, to seeing a Leprechaun’s Pot of Gold!

To take the disaster left by the previous manager, turning this around into a championship winning team, is nothing short of miraculous. Yes, significant money was injected into the club, but that’s precisely what was needed, to be fair. That speculation has now paid off handsomely. We can expectantly assume that additional investment will be forthcoming to get Waterford back to competing in some form of European football. Despite some social media soccer lovies criticising said spend, just how else was this Waterford club to climb the league ladder?

For those, such as John O’Sullivan and Paul Cleary, who have had to endure the toughest of times, may they and many others enjoy the celebrations. Then start looking forward to top flight football next season.

I have said for many years that for Waterford to succeed commercially, we would also need sporting success, running in tandem. It would appear that we have reached a turning point in Waterford’s hurling and soccer stories. There is no mystery as to why this corner has been turned. The hard, hard graft endured during cold Winter’s nights of training under floodlights, is finally beginning to reap suitable rewards.

“You can’t beat live football”, local pundit Matt Keane often reminds us and next year we should have an abundance of top soccer coming to the Regional Sports Centre.

All too often, just as you reach for the summit, you can come back down to earth with an almighty bump. Something that we here in Waterford seem to experience far, far too regularly.

“We giveth in one hand and we taketh away in another!” could easily be the calling card of our current Government, when talking about all things Waterfordian.

Our sporting highs have been overshadowed by what would appear to be yet more bad news looming, in relation to University Hospital Waterford. At the time of writing, according to unsubstantiated reports, our Tipp neighbours may be annexed from our hospital grouping, by those masters of preposterous-piss-poor-planning – the HSE. It looks like mysterious forces have been covertly working away behind closed, barricaded doors in Dublin. One would assume in consultation with Government and appropriate Ministers. Nothing happens in the civil service, without the odd compliant TD here and there, agreeing to “Changes in principle”.

If we are to believe that these changes are afoot, then yet more services will bleed from University Hospital Waterford, leaving us with a hospital that has no regional bias whatsoever. As more and more capacity is removed from UHW, we have to ask ourselves just when is enough ENOUGH? 

Waterford has a Minister and one, almost impossible to spot TD in Government. We have people at the top table and yet we constantly have to climb up Mount Everest unsupported, without crampons or oxygen!!!

Are our Government colleagues prepared to say that they know nothing, nil, faic, zilch of the proposal from the HSE, in relation to Tipp? If they are going to adopt this proposal then we have to ask “Should they not make it their business to know?”

Rest assured Teflon TD Lowry will know exactly what is on the table for his beloved, demanding, adoring constituents.

So once again, according to our pair of, “In power TDs”, there are mysterious forces at work. Prepared to drive yet another nail into our coffin lid. But wait, hold the hammer, did not the South East FG regional Councillors write a letter to “Dear Leo”? Yes, they did and of course that will make all the difference.

I think we have more chance of seeing John’s aliens!

Our catheterisation laboratory is still “Missing In Action!”

As the temperature dropped, quite dramatically in the last couple of days, we left the Summer behind and Autumn began to colour our lives. Not before one last hurrah in Waterford City. Our Harvest Festival celebrated “All things foodie” in this South East region.

The Terra Madre Slow Cook Festival organised, by amongst others Donal Lehane and Donald Sutherland (not the actor), was looking to expand, develop and “Grow to the next level”. I was CEO of Waterford Chamber of Commerce at the time and remember this festival’s origins. I jumped at the chance to bring this fledgling festival under our wing, help nurture it, allowing it to mature into the festival we love and recognise today.

A suitable committee was formed, with great support from Waterford Council. Harvest Festival stretched almost the length of our waterfront quay. One kilometre of food offerings, stalls, entertainment, educational classes, GIY conferences and even a petting zoo. The very best of our region, the “Breadbasket” of Ireland. It was a huge, roaring success, if you can recall and the finest in my opinion. Bringing enormous numbers of people to Waterford City, looking to sample or discover something new, to titillate their taste buds.

It is not only the Harvest Festival that has been a “Last of the Summer Wine” distraction. There were plenty of other events taking place, in and around our county to entertain us.

There has been a diversity of sporting achievements. Our magnificent young (youngish Mr “Brick” Walsh) hurlers’ odyssey to Croke Park and of course Waterford FC chasing promotion back to their rightful place in a Premier League. Lots of charity fundraising events such as the Donal O’Connor Memorial Cycle, the De La Salle GAA annual fundraiser, then last weekend I “Chased a Duck” all over County Waterford!!!!!

We have read more and more Census 2016 information telling us, here in Waterford, what we already knew! Our unemployment is still proportionately far too high, when compared to the national average. Third level uptake is ridiculously low. We don’t use public transport and our disposable income is one of the lowest in Ireland.

The promised North Quay Strategic Development Zone project is still according to our Council Executive, on stream. Waterford Council has now applied for the €60-70,000,000 funding needed to kick-start this “Once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity!” We are also reading through social media spinners, that this twin-development game changer will bring untold opportunities to Waterford. There has even been talk of a cable car type gondola, across the River Suir and up to the old hotel site on the hill. Just how we will get adequate visitor numbers, to sustain such a development economically, is yet to be teased out or convince a bank to lend a developer the money!

All of the above are just some of the headline grabbers, which have been a welcomed distraction for our holidaying TDs. Whilst we have been “Enjoying ourselves” the pressure to deliver some very key pieces of infrastructure, has de-escalated.

Yes, we were fittingly reminded of what we are missing, by our “Gentleman” hurling manager. In Derek McGarth’s Monday homecoming speech, he talked about the City and County’s urgent need for a catheterisation laboratory and a university. Our Minister was within earshot, sharing the same stage with our successful hurlers!

Governments are skilled experts in constantly kicking cans down the road. Our missing catheterisation laboratory was promised far too long ago and yet still no sign of its arrival. I live within a stone’s throw of UHW, passing it every single day of the week. I hope like so many others, one day soon I will see this now mythical unit, appear in its grounds, opening its doors to reduce much needed patient waiting lists.

The sense of urgency for Waterford seems all but lost on our representatives. Surely during their long summer recess, they should have been getting together? Formulating a proactive, real-time plan, to loosen Exchequer pursue strings, before the next budget.

Collectively, we must ask them just what have they been doing, whilst away from the Dáil, to ensure the delivery of the catheterisation laboratory?

It would appear that our promised, part-time laboratory is not the only thing “Missing In Action”, in Waterford.