Search Results for 'Harry Barrett'

A new deal between Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and Nanchang University, China, has been described as ‘momentous’. The strategic partnership agreement with the Chinese university, which is ranked as one of the top 100 universities in China, will have a huge impact for Castlebar and the entire region, according to Labour councillor Harry Barrett.

Schools, social welfare offices, museums, libraries, county and town council offices all ground to a stop in the wind and rain last Tuesday as the public service workers in the county joined their colleagues across the country in a one day strike. Non essential services were not available to the people of Mayo for the day as the thousands of public service workers in the county voiced their anger at potential cut backs to their pay and conditions in the upcoming Budget.

The tough balancing act of coming up with a balanced budget for 2010 looks to be getting harder for the executive of Castlebar Town Council. Next Tuesday the council will meet to try to thrash out a budget for the coming year, Town manager Seamus Granahan has recommend a zero per cent increase in the rates for business in the town in his manager’s report. However for the councillors that is not good enough as a number of independent councillors and the Fine Gael councillors will be looking for a reduction in the rates.

Despite some members of Castlebar Town Council saying last week they wanted a massive 10 per cent cut in rates in the town for 2010, the elected members settled on the figure of a 2.5 per cent cut in the rates.

A new pay and display system will start to operate in the Dunnes Stores car park, Castlebar over the coming weeks. This new system will see barrier free pay and display parking operating in the car park similar to the one in use already in the other council owned car parks.

Following a lengthy debate, with plenty of cross table and cross party swipes at policies and abilities, the elected members of Castlebar Town Council voted by eight votes to one to back a motion by Independent Councillor Frank Durcan which said: “The members of Castlebar Town Council call on the Government to indict for the act of treason, the politicians and bankers who were grossly responsible for the undermining of the economy over the past 10 years”.

Based on a Labour Party survey of water charges in each local authority area, schools in Castlebar and around the county could face an average increase of 100 per cent in their water bills if water conservation measures are not introduced immediately according to Labour Councillor Harry Barrett.