Mayo Labour Party

Residents of 62 estates eligible for waiver of household charge says Labour Councillor

2012-01-17T09:46:00.001-08:00

Homeowners in over 60 unfinished housing estates throughout Mayo will be eligible for a waiver of the €100 household charge according to Westport based Labour councillor, Keith Martin.

According to Cllr Martin the new legislation "provides that an owner of residential property which is situated in an unfinished estate is entitled to a waiver from payment of the Household Charge in respect of that property for that year."

The wavier only applies to estates where the developer is still in place but is effectively inactive, or where the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents.

A national survey of unfinished housing developments was carried out in 2011 by officials from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, in conjunction with the Planning Departments of the various local authorities. As part of this survey, all unfinished developments were examined and categorised along the following lines:

Category 1: the development is still being actively completed by the developer;
Category 2: a receiver has been appointed;
Category 3: a receiver has not been appointed and the developer is still in place but effectively inactive; and
Category 4: the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents.

An owner of a residential property in an unfinished development contained in the prescribed list is entitled to a waiver from payment of the household charge in 2012. This prescribed list consists only of developments under Categories 3 and 4.

According to the Westport based Cllr Martin "A list of such estates has been published by the Dept of the Environment which has identified 62 such estates in Mayo.

This new charge, of EUR 100 per year in 2012, is unfortunately a condition of the EU/IMF bailout that was necessitated by the disastrous economic mismanagement of the previous FF/Green Government.

The charge will fund essential local services such as libraries, road cleaning, public lighting and so on that councils such as Westport Town Council and Mayo County Council provide to all citizens.

The charge has been carefully framed so as to make owners liable rather than occupiers. Social housing and houses of the elderly who are living in nursing homes etc are included in the exemptions. Those in receipt of mortgage interest supplement and in these particular unfinished estates are also exempt."

Westport
Cedar Park,
Cluain Abhain
Sli Na Misean

Castlebar
Carrabeg
Heather Vale
College Woods
Sean Abhain
The Waterway

Ballina
Belleek Manor
Church Manor
Friars Court
Glen Ri
Lansyn
Quignalecka
Quignalecka Apartment
Un-named estate Church Road

A full list of the qualifying unfinished estates is available at www.householdcharge.ie

https://www.householdcharge.ie/UHE/Mayo.pdf

Labour Party Branch Meeting

2011-10-26T09:40:00.001-07:00

The Westport Branch of the Labour Party will meet on Wednesday
November 8th at 8pm in the Wyatt Hotel. The meeting will be addressed
by Cllr Keith Martin who will update the members on the activities and
plans of Westport Town Council. The Presidential election will be
discussed as will plans for a trip to Dail Eireann by the members.
Also on the agenda will be recruitment and fund raising. Membership
forms are available from 086 069 1182.

Make a submission on the future of Westport Co Mayo. Time is almost up.

2011-09-08T16:35:00.001-07:00

Next Wednesday September 14^th is the closing date for submissions on the Westport Town Plan & the Westport Environs Plan. To keep it very simple these plans effectively determine the road map for Westport over the next 4 years and ensure we have a fully integrated and balanced approach to future development. This process started nearly 3 years ago with both plans finally ratified in late 2009. Normally once these plans are approved they remain in place for 6 years but because the Department of Environment felt they were fundamentally flawed they rejected both plans and have pushed them back to the Town & County Councillors to reflect further on their decisions.

In December 2009 we received a letter from the Department of Environment which outlined their concerns with the 2 plans and the reasons why they would reject both.

In relation to the Environs Plan it specifically referred to the following "The Department is very concerned in the vicinity of the proposed N5 approach road to the town that there is considered potential for random and uncoordinated development that would seriously undermine the setting and presentation of Westport as one of Irelands best known heritage town". The area that the Department specifically refer to in this statement is the Monamore and Drummindoo Area where large tracts of lands were zoned for "residential" and "commercial" development. I would ask that you keep the following in mind in determining if this was a right or wrong decision:

The lands in Monamore/Drummindoo are not on the town sewerage scheme or town water supply. The roads in the area are already substandard and have no footpaths or street lighting

In the Town Development Plan there are no lands specifically zoned for recreation/amenity; in the Environs Plan there are 5 acres. Any sort of football organisation would need a minimum of 10 acres to meet current and future needs

We have 2 industrial parks in town, one is virtually empty and the other one is at 50% capacity. Throughout the town we had numerous empty commercial building and shops.

There are 882 houses/apartments which have planning permission but have not commenced construction. Under the new planning legislation applicants can extend their planning timelines by 5 years even if the land associated with the development is rezoned.

Per the recent census one in four houses in Westport are unoccupied and the town had a population of approximately 5,500 people. Using a very conservative estimate this would equate to at least 750 houses. This does not take into consideration the 5 unfinished housing estates/apartment blocks in the area.

The proposed N5 from Castlebar to Westport will run directly through Monamore/Drummindoo. The cost of these lands will be significantly higher if the zoning is changed from "Agriculture" to "Commercial/residential" thus increasing the cost to the tax-payer in multiples of the real value

Last May all of the County Councillors present agreed with the Department and the Mangers recommendation and returned these lands to "Agricultural" zoning. Under this zoning families of land owners would still be able to build one-off houses on family lands or for the lands to be developed for recreation/amenity facilities. Unfortunately following the receipt of submissions from a handful of individuals/Companies who had an interest in land in the area this decision was reversed in July at a Westport Electoral Area meeting (3 votes to 1, 1 abstained); we are now back to the exact same situation where we were in 2008/2009 with land zoning and existing developments to cater for a population of 20,000 people. The 5 Councillors who make the final decision later this month are Cllr Austin Francis O'Malley, Cllr Margaret Adams, Cllr John O'Malley, Cllr Christy Hyland and myself. In recent times we have seen the damage caused by bad planning and uncontrolled development and I sincerely hope common sense will prevail and that all of the progress we have made in Westport is not permanently damaged.

I am not asking you to agree or disagree with me on my views on over-zoning but I would ask that you would make a submission so it is simply not property speculators and developers who are influencing Councillors in their decisions. To see the full report in relation to the latest stage of the Town & Environs Plan please click on the following link:

http://www.mayococo.ie/en/Planning/PlanningNews/StoryIfNoFilesToUpload,16723,en.aspx

A submission does not have to any way technical or detailed and just needs to refer to the Town-land or the Environs Plan reference number (MT01 & MM-01 relate to the Environs Plan) and should just state the reason why you agree or disagree with a particular proposal. You may also simply just make a general comment about the overall plan. The link attached also includes the Town Development Plan which I would also recommend you give your views if you feel strongly about the changes proposed in MT01 or MT02. As I am no longer a Town Councillor I have deliberately refrained from making any comments in this mail.

If you would like to make a submission please send an e-mail to dkeane@mayococo.ie by next Wednesday September 14^th at 5pm. Please feel free to forward this mail to any others who you feel would like to make their views on either of the two plans.

On-street parking charges "death knell" for small shops

2011-01-29T14:20:00.001-08:00

According to Labour Councillor Keith Martin on-street parking charges in Westport could sound the "death knell" for small shops in Westport town centre as Cllr Martin claims the new charge will encourage shoppers to use larger supermarkets such as Tesco and Supervalu which are able to offer free parking.

Cllr Martin continues "If we bring in on-street parking charges we end up penalising small businesses within the town core as we effectively encourage shoppers to avail of free parking elsewhere in Westport or even Castlebar.

"There is absolutely no point in reducing rates and then making it more expensive to shop in Westport town core. Grocery, butchers, florists and clothes shops are already finding it hard enough to keep their doors open without Westport Town Council driving away customers through an opportunistic parking charge.

"Car parking charges drive everybody mad, as on top of been charged a fortune for petrol, car tax, insurance and other car running cost, you also have to pay for the privilege to stop driving your car and park it somewhere! The car is a necessity in the west of Ireland where public transport is practically non-existent.

"In addition to this in order to bring in on-street parking charges they would have to place horrible plastic green ticket machines up and down our streets, taking away from Westport's beauty as a Heritage and Tidy Town.

"I shall be calling on Fine Gael and Cllr Martin Keane to vote against the bylaws when they come before the council later in the spring. It's time we shouted STOP!"

On-Street Parking By-laws may be defeated - Martin

2011-01-29T04:17:00.000-08:00

Attempts to bring in a "trial" of on-street parking in Westport for six months of the year are likely to fail according to Labour councillor Keith Martin.

Cllr Martin says he does not think that the proposal has the support of the majority of Westport Town Council, which is required in order to pass the necessary by-laws later in the year.

In early January, Westport Town Council voted to adopt a provision of €150,000 in its 2011 budget. A motion by Cllr Brendan Mulroy, supported by Cllr Martin, to defer any provision for on-street parking till after a traffic meeting to discuss the measures had been held was defeated by a 6-2 vote when the five Fine Gael councillors and Cllr Martin Keane backed the inclusion of the parking charges in the budget

This means as Westport Town Council has already struck a rate, that if the by-laws are not passed Westport Town Council will have to cut up to cut an additional €150,000 from its 2011 budget.

According to Cllr Martin "Cllr Mulroy and I have been very strong on this issue from the beginning; we are opposed to the introduction of on-street parking charges in Westport. We wanted a proper public debate on the issue before adopting the budget but we were voted down.

"Despite the fact that all the Fine Gael councillors and independent Cllr Martin Keane backed the budget provision for €150,000 in on-street parking charges I don't think they will back the parking by-laws as quickly."

Cowley on Hospital Stores

2010-11-17T10:04:00.001-08:00

Report of November Meeting of the Labour Party in Westport

2010-11-17T10:01:00.001-08:00

The November meeting of the Westport Branch of the Labour Party was well attended and dealt with issues ranging from recruitment and funding through to Jerry Cowley's campaign for a Dail seat.

The Branch heard of the great success of the Branch's recent annual church gate collection and a vote of thanks was extended to those who gave so generously at St Mary's and Holy Trinity churches.

A report on the Branch's finances was circulated by the Treasurer as was details of the up-coming West Mayo church gate collections.

The Branch voted to hold a Christmas Party for its members, friends and supporters and for the supporters of Cllrs Keith Martin, Harry Barrett and Dr Jerry Cowley. Details of the party will be finalised at the December meeting.

The Branch also voted a motion of sympathy in remembrance of Michael Joe Lavelle RIP the former President of the Branch and long-time Labour Party member and activist in the Westport Branch. Sympathy was expressed to the Lavelle family on the anniversary of their loss.

A report on Dr Cowley's campaign was given to the branch on the success of the current canvass and on the warm response Dr Cowley was receiving. Addressing the Branch Dr Cowley expressed his determination to win a seat for Labour in Mayo. Dr Cowley underlined his commitment to the development of Mayo General Hospital and his commitment to helping the young, elderly and less well off in Mayo.

The Branch resolved to undertake an on-street recruitment day in Westport during the month of November to ensure that those interested in the party could play an active role in seeking a change of government and electing a Labour TD in Mayo.

The Branch also resolved to ensure that voters were registered to vote and members will be encouraging voters to ensure their names on are on the current electoral register.

The next meeting of the Labour Party in Westport takes place on Tuesday December 7^th at 8pm in the Wyatt Hotel. Anyone interested in joining the Labour Party is very welcome to attend. Membership forms are available from 086 0691182.

Centre of excellence at Mayo General Hospital under threat -"no logic" to decommissioning a department that has saved the HSE money" says Dr Jerry Cowley

2010-11-04T05:27:00.001-07:00

Dr Jerry Cowley, Labour party general election candidate for Mayo is calling on the HSE not to downgrade the successful Stores Department at Mayo General Hospital.Dr Cowley visited the department on Wednesday, 3rd November to meet with staff on their concerns around the reorganisation of the service. It may mean that a service that saved over € 2.8 million for the HSE in Mayo General Hospital in the past year, is decommissioned. It is agreed by all that changes in the health service are necessary but Mayo General Hospital Stores Department is the most efficient in the Country presently.

Dr Cowley " I was extremely impressed by the commitment and professionalism of the staff of the stores department at Mayo General Hospital. This is confirmed by their nomination for a series of awards in recognition of their excellence. I cannot see any basis for downgrading a successful local unit, recognized nationally as a centre of excellence, based on arbitrary geographical factors as opposed to an analysis of the actual capabilities of the unit itself. There is no logic to this proposal which will cost several million of lost revenue to Mayo local suppliers. It also means that an unacceptable patient risk will come into play as no stock will be held on site at Mayo, but will have to come from Sligo or Galway in the event of an emergency situation. Considerable concerns have already been raised in the hospital concerning this ."

Staff informed Dr Cowley that their success in cutting costs on supplies for the Hospital is now being used as the model for the HSE throughout the country. It now seems that the 28 members of the team that has delivered this centre of excellence will be broken up and disbanded. Sligo and Galway are likely to be chosen as the new centralised stores areas and Mayo would lose out as a result.

Dr Cowley said he will be asking the parties health spokesperson to raise the matter with the Minister for Health at the first available opportunity in the Dail. He added "I call on all other public representatives in the county to join me to ensure that Mayo General Hospitals stores department is protected. If it can't be maintained in Castlebar, the HSE should consider using a central town in Connaught, Claremorris for example, as a base for any new centralised stores for the counties involved which include Galway, Sligo and Roscommon. This could also facilitate the retention of the excellent staff I met today in the county, serving the needs of the health service in the region as a whole. If properly managed this could mean 70 to 80 jobs for the Claremorris area."

Church Gate Thanks

2010-11-02T11:37:00.001-07:00

The Westport Branch of the Labour Party would like to thank the parishioners of St Mary's and Holy Trinity churches who gave so generously at the Branch's recent Church Gate collection. Every penny raised goes towards supporting the Labour Party's activities in Westport and is greatly appreciated. For more information on the Labour Party in Westport or for membership queries call Keith on 086 0691182 or visit www.westportlabour.blogspot.com

Labour supporters

2010-10-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

Could do any mass for the Westport Labour Party this weekend? Sat at
6 or Sun at 10 and 11.30? Or all 3? Please let me know!

Councillor Keith Martin
086 0691182
098 24852
www.councillorkeithmartin.com

Labour unveil policies and candidates for Westport, Mayo and Europe!

2009-04-15T09:08:00.001-07:00

Labour unveil policies and candidates for Westport, Mayo and Europe

The Labour party will unveil its town, county and Euro candidates and their policies at a special public meeting tonight (Tuesday April 21st) in the Wyatt Hotel in Westport at 7.30pm.

The Special guest will be Susan O'Keefe, the Labour Party candidate for the North-West constituency for the forthcoming European Parliament Elections. Susan is the journalist who broke the story on a World in Action programme on the Irish Beef Industry which led to the formation of a Tribunal of Inquiry.

Susan O'Keefe says her "core beliefs of equality and fairness have driven all the work I have done as a journalist. By joining the Labour Party I will be able to direct these values towards building a more honest political system which favours, not just the brave, but the weak, the poor and the old. I want to contribute to building a fairer Ireland and a fairer Europe where working together means just that."

Announcing Susan's candidacy for the European elections, Eamon Gilmore TD said "Susan O'Keeffe is a person of the highest integrity and remarkable courage with an outstanding record as a campaigning journalist."

Prior to the public meeting Susan O'Keefe will be meeting the people of Westport during the afternoon, when she will have the opportunity of listening to the views and opinions of the people of Mayo on the EU and it's importance and relevance to the further development of the West of Ireland.

Labour's second candidate for Westport Town Council David Fallon will also outline Labour's Policies for Westport Town Council while Cllr Keith Martin will outline his priorities for the Westport Electoral Area.

According to Chair of the Westport Branch of the Labour Mr Sean Sammon, Labour's priorities are "Jobs, jobs, jobs."

www.thingscanonlygetbetter.ie

086 0691182

098 24852

Good Friday Clean up

2009-04-13T12:36:00.001-07:00

Members of the Westport Branch of the Labour Party took part in the Good Friday Clean up with members taking to the Northwoods to give the area a spring clean. In addition to litter they removed plastic and metal piping, scraps of metal and plastic.

Pictured Andrew Martin, John McDonell, David Fallon and Cllr Keith Martin

Join the Party, join the Labour Party!

2009-03-05T09:05:00.001-08:00

Join the Labour Party

The Labour Party is hosting a recruitment evening in the Bakehouse Rooms of Henehan's Bar on Bridge Street tonight March 10^th at 8pm. This is part of a nationwide recruitment drive by Party Leader Eamon Gilmore.

Membership of the party is open to all according to Chairman of the Mayo Labour Party, Sean Sammon. "The Labour Party is the hardest working party in Mayo and we are gearing up for the upcoming local elections and are looking forward to our Party Conference at the end of March. The Labour Party, in Mayo and nationally, is going from strength to strength and we are now inviting those people in Mayo who want to make a difference to join us and help us get Mayo moving again.

"Anyone interested in joining the Labour is invited to come along tonight and have a chat and a cup of tea with us. For more information on the Labour Party in Mayo call us on 098 24852 or visit www.labour.ie"

Right to read

2009-02-02T16:02:00.001-08:00

Increased library opening hours, a literacy programme aimed at young parents and their children and council-backed homework clubs are just some of the measures being proposed by Labour's Cllr Keith Martin to tackle illiteracy and to promote reading in Mayo.

Cllr Keith Martin, who is a Branch Librarian at Westport Library, is backing "The Right to Read campaign" which is directed towards education in the community and uses the resources of Local Authorities to back up vital literacy programmes like Homework Clubs, Home-Reading initiatives and Public Libraries. The campaign is backed by the children's charity Barnardos, unions SIPTU, INTO, TUI, ASTI and the National Adult Literacy Agency.

Cllr Martin says "Children who go to primary school, must 'Learn to Read so that they Read to Learn' when they move up to secondary school. According to the latest Census figures 19% of secondary students in Mayo drop out of school when they reach 15 or after their junior certificate. Many, but not all, do so because they have difficulty with reading and writing.

"Nationally there are at least half a million adults that are functionally illiterate. Many of these people are doomed to low incomes or long term unemployment, especially in the current economy. We must work to eliminate illiteracy and to create an literate and confident society and workforce.

"Also there are huge personal benefits to reading, for example reading stimulates the mind (unlike television), reading improves our vocabulary, concentration, focus and memory and allows us to develop our creativity. In addition to this its great fun, whether its escapism in good novel or a DIY or cookery book to help us around the home.

Cllr Martin concludes "I am committed to implementing the Right to Read programme when I am elected to Mayo County Council. We must make sure that no child or adult is left behind, we must also ensure that everyone learns to read, for education and for fun. Libraries offer great value for money, with free membership for children up to 18 and a maximum annual membership cost of just €3. For that you get to borrow five books, CDs, DVDs for free, free internet access and access to a huge amount of reference and support materials. The Right to Read campaign aims to highlight these opportunities and to promote literacy and the enjoyment of reading in Mayo."

CORE Initiatives

Increase library opening hours, especially in the evenings after school.
Ensure that all libraries publish community outreach plans and work with schools and community groups to maximise participation in library activities amongst all age groups.
Increase the number of activities in libraries to promote reading.
Expand the mobile library service.
Encourage literacy amongst young parents with the promotion of 'Baby Books Bundle' by the library service.
Encourage all Local Authorities to establish Right to Read Committees involving elected members and appropriate officers from council management.
'Family Learning through Football' courses (Sunderland F.C. model) encouraging positive parenting and family literacy through sport in association with sporting organisations run in council community centres.
A greater volume of multi-lingual textbooks in our library service.
A greater roll out of schemes like the 'Beano Comic Initiative' as sponsored by Dublin City Council across the country.

Formatted - Martin calls for lower voting age for EU and Locals

2009-01-27T15:03:00.001-08:00

Cllr Keith Martin has welcomed the campaign "Vote at 16 – A New Age in Voting" by the National Youth Council of Ireland which calls for the voting age for local and European elections to be lowered to 16.

According to Cllr Martin "There are many issues affecting young people that need to be articulated. Who better to do so than young voters of 16 and 17?

"Now is the time to lower the age as 16 and 17 year-olds have a great deal of experience with the democratic process. The teenagers of this generation have far more knowledge of politics through programmes in secondary school and access to information via the internet. They are increasingly engaged in political and charity campaigns and they are heavily impacted on by decisions made at local and European level particularly in the area of education."

Cllr Martin says changing the voting age for local and European elections is simple as while the voting age of 18 for Dáil and Presidential elections in Ireland is provided for under the Constitution, there is no such restriction as far as local and European elections are concerned.

Already a number of countries have reduced the voting age to 17 such as East Timor and Indonesia. Others such as Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua, the Isle of Man and the Netherlands have reduced the voting age to 16.

Cllr Martin says "There are many compelling reasons why we should lower the vote for example we now have an extremely well educated youth who are an economic power in their own right and people are maturing much earlier now than they were 50 years ago. Most young people are now in full time education at the age of 16 whereas most had left school at the age of 16 fifty years ago.

"Young people are constantly voting and enjoy voting in reality TV programmes, such as Big Brother, the X Factor and You're a Star. However, they are unable to vote on the real issues that effect their lives.

"Local authorities make decisions on areas such as planning and zoning that will have a major impact on where these young people will live and work in the not-too-distant future, and their views and perspectives should be fully reflected by their democratically elected representatives.

"At a time when the lives of young people are being severely impacted by cutbacks in education, reductions in children's allowance and increases in college 'registration fees' - they deserve to have their voices heard."

"As somebody who became involved in politics long before he was eligible to vote I believe that we should be doing everything possible to make sure that young people become engaged in the democratic process and in civic life. Dropping the voting age would certainly be a step in the right direction in that regard."

086 0691182

Westport Labour

2009-01-27T10:22:00.001-08:00

The first meeting of the Westport Branch in 2009 was recently held in Henehan's Bake House Bar on Bridge St.

Top of the agenda was the upcoming 2009 elections and a discussion concerning the number of candidates to run for Westport Town Council was discussed.

As of yet the Westport Labour Party has not nominated anyone to contest the Town Council next year though it is likely that Keith Martin will seek to keep his seat on the council. Keith Martin has already been nominated to contest a seat on Mayo County Council for the Westport Electoral Area. It was resolved that the Branch will decide on the number of candidates to run for the Town Council at their April meeting.

The issue of a new clean water for Westport, Murrisk and Louisburgh was discussed and the issue of the delay over the Polluter Pays Principle was discussed with Cllr Keith Martin assuring the members that he was investigating the delay with all five stalled schemes in Mayo.

Branch Chairman Sean Sammon addressed the meeting saying the party is looking to field candidates in as many areas as possible next year saying Labour Party in Mayo was targeting seats throughout the county and in the three town council areas.

"From Achill to Ballina we are looking for people to come forward and join the party and for people to come forward and stand for the party in Mayo. Labour has championed the retention of post offices, vital health services, community policing and affordable homes and we are never afraid to stand up for what we believe in."

Mr Sammon also said that members will have the chance to meet the Labour Party Leader Eamon Gilmore TD when he visits Castlebar on February 9th.

Anyone interested in joining the Labour Party in Mayo can contact Keith on 086 0691182 or visit their website http://www.mayolabour.blogspot.com/

At the end of the meeting a minute's silence was observed by the members to mark the tragic passing of Padraig Hughes over the Christmas, and to mark the untimely passing of Tony Naughton and Mattie Hopkins who had both given decades of service to the town.

Gilmore supports Westport Winter Fuel Appeal

2008-11-05T13:02:00.000-08:00

(left to right)

Sean Sammon Chair Mayo Labour Party, Cathaoirleach Cllr Martin Keane, Eamon Gimore TD, Cllr Keith Martin, Tadgh McNally

Micheal D Higgins TD and Cllr Keith Martin protest means test for over 70s medical cards

2008-10-28T15:44:00.001-07:00

Pictured here is Labour's Maria Parodi, Party President Michael D Higgins TD and Cllr Keith Martin outside Dail Eireann at the Irish Senior Citizens Parliment Protest at the introduction of means testing for the over 70s Medical Card.

Photo from Dail Protest

2008-10-24T05:57:00.001-07:00

A night at the races!

2008-10-20T16:27:00.001-07:00

My fundraiser racenight will take place on November 7th at 9.30pm in Henehan's Bar on Bridge Street, Westport.

Horses are €25 each and we have some great prizes and an auction race to finish.

Please buy a horse or come along on the night and help fill my campaign coffers for the election in June. Every little helps and my campaign is funded by my friends, family and supporters so I need all the help I can get to make it a level playing field next year.

086 0691182 or e-mail me to buy a horse.

Labour is an equal opportunity party!

2008-10-14T11:00:00.001-07:00

Equality Officer with the Mayo Labour Party, Cllr Keith Martin says that the Party in Mayo is on the look our for potential members and candidates from all sections of Mayo society.

"The Labour Party is an equal opportunity party especially when it comes to membership and candidates and we are currently examining how we can increase membership throughout the county and identify members to run for seats.

"We don't believe that age, gender or any other factor is a bar to membership or candidacy. As long as a person believes in a fair society and the core principals of Freedom, Equality, Community and Democracy then they are welcome as a member of the Labour Party in Mayo."

Cllr Martin says the party is also looking to field candidates in as many areas as possible next year saying Labour Party in Mayo was targeting seats throughout the county and in the three town council areas.

Anyone interested in joining the Labour Party in Mayo can contact Keith on 086 0691182 or visit their website http://www.mayolabour.blogspot.com/

Members will also have the chance to meet the Labour Party Leader Eamon Gilmore TD when he visits Castlebar on October 30th and Westport on October 31st.

Westport Labour Notes

2008-10-14T10:30:00.001-07:00

The Westport Labour Party held its October meeting last week in Henehan's Bar. The meeting was well attended and discussed a range of issues.

Top of the agenda was the upcoming 2009 elections and a discussion concerning the number of candidates to run for Westport Town Council was discussed.

High also on the agenda was the visit of the Party Leader Eamon Gilmore TD to Westport on Friday October 31st. The branch debated on the issues it would discuss with the Leader and resolved to set up a warm welcome for Deputy Gilmore and that the Branch would try to facilitate any groups or organisations seeking to meet the Labour Party Leader.

Among other issues debated at the meeting was the recognised need for a new library for Westport and the Branch was encouraged by Cllr Martin's progress on the issue.

Cllr Martin updated the branch on his council activities and outlined his priorities for the rest of the year.

The next meeting of the Branch will take place in November and anyone interested in joining the Branch can contact Keith on 086 0691182.

Westport Labour "labouring" hard for YES vote on Thursday

2008-06-04T15:19:00.001-07:00

The Westport Branch of the Labour Party has proved to be one of the most active party machines in the promotion of a Yes vote on Thursday June 12th. To date the Branch has arranged the distribution of 4,000 leaflets and has erected 150 posters in south-west Mayo. The party has also hosted a walkabout by Labour's MEP Proinsias De Rossa in Westport.

At the front of this campaign has been Labour's Cllr Keith Martin, the 33 year-old librarian, who was selected earlier in the year as a candidate for next year's County Council elections. While other public representatives have been very shy about backing the YES vote Cllr Martin has been to the forefront of the campaign.

According to Cllr Martin "Lisbon is not about surrendering sovereignty but is about ensuring that the EU is run more fairly, efficiently and democratically. This should be clear to anyone who has taken the time to read the independent booklet from the Referendum Commission which has been delivered to every address in the country.

"I think it is important to remember who is opposed to the Lisbon Treaty, i.e. Sinn Fein, Youth Defence and Libertas. This unlikely coalition do not even share a common interest never mind the public's best interest. On the other hand Labour, Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, Progressive Democrats, ICTU, IBEC and the IFA are all calling for a YES vote.

"If we want to guarantee that we have the same power in Commissioners as large countries like the UK, France and Germany we must vote YES, If we want to guarantee basic rights to all citizens throughout the 27 EU countries we must vote YES, if we want our Government to have the power and prestige to fight our corner in Europe, the WTO and the EU we must vote YES.

"Ireland's future lies not in splendid isolation, but in partnership with our European neighbours. The Lisbon Treaty is about strengthening and regulating that relationship. We must vote YES"

Proinsias De Rossa MEP

2008-06-02T18:43:00.001-07:00

Lisbon 001
Originally uploaded by CllrKeith's

Proinsias De Rossa MEP and members of the Mayo Labour Party at the start of the Lisbon Canvass of Westport.

Committee of the Westport Branch of Labour Party

2008-05-08T14:07:00.001-07:00

Labour-branch group
Originally uploaded by CllrKeith's

Pictured above is the Westport Branch of the Labour Party.

Back row
Matt Murray, Rupert Fabby, John Tiernan, Andy Martin, John McDonnell

Front row
Cllr Keith Martin, Sean Sammon, David Fallon, Seamus Gavan

New Mayo Constituency Council

2008-04-21T14:33:00.001-07:00

It's great to see that the Mayo Constituemcy Council has had it's AGM and that it is now up and running and dedicating itself to growing the Labour Party in Mayo.
Roger Martin is the Councils Historical Officer and if there is any information you need or an enquiry to be made, contact him via our new e-mail address at mayolabour@live.com

Welcome

2008-04-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new blog.

We held our AGM last night and it was well attended. We will be posting a report up here later today with a full list of the elected officers.

Our e-mail address is mayolabour@live.ie

We will be updated this blog regularly with news and information and will have photos and other details asap.