County Councillor Linus English has been coming under fire on social media in recent days after parking a Volkswagen van in a disabled parking spot in Blackrock.
The van, which is being used to promote the Fine Gael candidate’s local election campaign in Dundalk South, was parked outside the Punjab Kebab House over the weekend in a parking space that is reserved for disabled drivers and their passengers.
A number of critics have been blasting the move. Let us know your opinions below…
Cllr Tomás Sharkey
Councillor Tomás Sharkey has welcomed the decision by the local authority in Louth to stop including Domiciliary Care Allowance while calculating rent.
The Domiciliary Care Allowance is an allowance paid by the Department of Social Protection, currently at a rate of €309.50 per month, to a person with whom a disabled child under the age of 16 is living.
However, up until now this sum was used to calculate how much a family could afford to pay in rent. County Manager Philomena Poole confirmed to councillors last week, however, that this payment would from here on in be excluded from calculations – something that was welcomed by Cllr Sharkey.
“Last year I met a family who have a sick child. The family’s rent was calculated by the council based on their social welfare payment and Domiciliary care allowance. The rent was too high for the family to keep paying. Every cent of the domiciliary payment went on providing for a very sick child,” said Cllr Sharkey.
“After researching other councils, we discovered that Louth was an exception. We could not find €309 per month payment as an income, liable for rent charges. This decision is not a power if elected Councillors, Council Management have the power to set rent and decide how to calculate it.
“I took the matter to the October meeting of the County Council and asked the new County Manager to review the matter. Last week, the decision was made to stop assessing Domiciliary Care Allowances as an income for calculating rent.
“This decision must be welcomed. We have won a small battle for families who care for sick children. I am concerned that there are families who have slipped into rent arrears because their rent was too high and ask that they contact me to help highlight the need to retrospectively address the issue,” said the Sinn Féin representative.
Special Olympics Ireland have made a plea for volunteers to get involved with the Special Olympics clubs in the county.
Volunteers are sought for Drogheda, Dundalk and St Therese’s Special Olympics Club, which have over 140 participants involved with them each week.
Dundalk Special Olympics Club train in Blackrock Community Centre on a weekly basis and also in Aura Leisure Centre and Ardee Golf Club. They compete in aquatics, athletics, football and tenpin bowling.
St Therese’s Special Olympics Club train in the Redeemer Centre in Ard Easmuinn and Aura Leisure Centre and compete in aquatics, athletics, badminton, bocce and football.
If you would like to get involved email Paddy O’Reilly at patrick.oreilly@specialolympics.ie or call 01-6296999.
Talk of the Town 