Laois Council called on to directly build houses

Laois County Council and other local authorities should resume the direct building of council housing, according to Portlaoise county councillor and the Labour Party's local election candidate in the town.

Cllr Marie Tuohy outlined her manifesto priorities at her election campaign launch in Portlaoise.

“It is time for the local authority and local government to get back to basics on issues such as housing and to resume directly building Council houses themselves,” said the outgoing councillor. 

She also called on the Council to take responsibility for other services and facilities such as a multi-purpose sports arena for the county town and stop delegating these matters. She maintained that councils had allowed their authority, autonomy, and functions to be usurped, and farmed out to others.

Cllr Tuohy’s election bid was officially launched in Ramsbottom’s on Main St with guest speaker Alan Kelly TD commending Marie’s ability and commitment to her community.

Her Director of Elections, John O’ Mahony said it was vital to support the role of women in politics, as Labour had always done, citing the instance of the election of Mary Robinson as President in 1990.

Cllr Tuohy was co-opted on to the council after her husband Noel stepped down for health reasons. She looked forward to her first campaign as a candidate.

“I am relatively new to electoral politics. This is my first time to put my name on a ballot paper. But I am not new to caring, not new to my community, not new to contributing, not new to being committed to the things and issues I believe in and believe strongly about – I have been with Noel too, shoulder-to-shoulder, every step of the way, in every campaign from his Prison Officer Association days to his two successful Council elections.

"I am committed. I do care and I do want to make a contribution to our community, a community and a Town which we love so much.

"Some might say, the Council has little say, a ‘talking shop’ – I say it’s good to talk. That’s how problems get aired, get shared, get sorted. You talk about them, talk it out and find solutions. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

"The council has an important impact on peoples lives and it’s important to have a voice in that room and around that table.
It is the Local Authority – its job is to listen to local people and address local issues.

"We are public representatives, we should be representing the public interests, the public’s perspectives and the public’s concerns in these conversations – and let them be debates if necessary – there is nothing wrong with robust, constructive debate. It’s healthy. That’s democracy at work – councillors and officials should work together to the common good but that doesn’t mean we have to agree, all singing off the same hymn sheet all the time.

"The Council has changed and evolved over the years – change is necessary and being progressive is important. But not all change has been for the better.

"To some extent the Council has abandoned some of its core functions and responsibilities and lost sight of the basics. In some cases, Councillors have given up their authority and autonomy on important local issues.

“Some officials would say that it’s not the Council’s responsibility to provide a state-of-the-art, multipurpose Sports Arena for the county – I beg to differ and say it is!! Sr Mary’s has served us well, but the provision of sports facilities for our young people is not the role of the Parish Priest – it’s the responsibility of County Hall,” she contended to resounding applause.

“To some extent the role and functions of the Council have been hollowed out, farmed out and delegated to others. This hasn’t always worked or been in the public interest. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

“The best example of this is housing. County Councils should never have stopped building Council Houses. Great families came out of Council houses in this town and it’s time Councils started building Council houses again. In the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s when the country had less resources the Council built Council houses and in so doing built great communities too, which are there to this day.

"That’s how you address the housing list and the access to affordable homes – not by purchasing houses on the open market and not by farming it out to others. It’s our responsibility and I will campaign for the Councils to return to taking charge, taking responsibility, and taking ownership of this issue once again – the present system isn’t working, it’s broken and needs to be fixed. It’s time for Council to get back to basics and build Council houses,” she concluded.

Cllr Tuohy holds one of the seven Portlaoise Municipal District seats on Laois County Council. She is also the Labour Party's only public representative in Laois.