Codd: A Plan to increase the bee population in County Wexford

Cllr Jim Codd has said that he intends to bring local bee keepers, environmentalists, the men’s shed movement and Wexford County Council together to dramatically increase the bee population in County Wexford over the next five years. The Aontu rep said that bees were vital to Irelands agricultural industry and were estimated to be worth €85 million to the economy per annum.

“It’s my intention to bring the expertise of Wexfords bee keepers to the general public,” Cllr Codd said. “We are lucky enough to live in a very rural area. The Rosslare LEA in particular still contains very open countryside and an average of a quarter of an acre per household. We are in an ideal situation to find homes for more bee hives.”

“I have spoken to many people already who are interested in becoming hosts for beehives. What they need is training, which we could deliver through a group of bee experts, and then the physical hives, which we hope to construct with the help of volunteers from the Mens Shed movement.”

“Bees are the most important pollinator of crops and native plant species in Ireland. About one third of our 101 native bee species are facing extinction. This plan would be an immediate positive environmental step and would create a whole new generation of bee keepers.”

Urgent traffic safety measures needed in Bridgetown village

The entry to Bridgetown village from the Mulrankin side is an accident waiting to happen according one Wexford County Councillor. Cllr Jim Codd said that he had been contacted by a number of local businesses and residents who were extremely worried about the speed at which some traffic entered such a built up area.

 “There have already been a number of accidents between the AOH Hall and the bridge in the village, but thankfully none have been too serious,” Cllr Codd said. “Locals believe it’s only a matter of time before this changes and someone is seriously injured or killed however. Traffic calming restrictions have been placed in other parts of the rapidly developed village already but not here.”

“Some drivers enter the village at high speed coming in on the straight and forgetting that there are three roads and a public carpark entrance leading onto this small stretch of road. There is also a housing estate, several businesses and homes. The potential for a serious accident is high.”

 “This is something that has been ignored for a long time despite several locals consistently highlighting the dangers over the past number of years. We cannot wait until a fatal accident to act. This needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, and I intend to work closely with council engineers to ensure it will be.”

Wexford County Councillors should work together for benefit of the Wexford people – Codd

A newly elected Wexford County Councillor has called on his colleagues to avoid power pacts, partisan politics and grand standing on national and international issues, in favour of working together to benefit Wexford. Cllr Jim Codd said he would take no part in council pacts but would work with any member of the council on proposals that would benefit the Wexford people.

 “In the last six months of the old County Council, only 6% of motions concerned the plight of rural Wexford,” Cllr Codd said. “The same amount of time was given to discussing the location of the Eurovision Song Contest. I have as much concerns about international issues as anyone but I was elected as a local Councillor and that is what I intend to be. If you were working in a job and ignoring the parameters to do what you felt motivated by, you wouldn’t be in employment for long.”

 “I oppose the partisan nature of local council politics and the idea of pacts for power in particular. I understand why many reps, particularly independents, might feel insecure enough to join a party in the chamber, but these pacts do not benefit the county and do stop an even distribution of Council grants across the county.”

 “I intend to work with any councillor who puts forward proposals that benefit the Wexford people. I will be pushing motions that I believe will benefit rural Wexford and the people of my LEA. That’s what I was elected to do. For too long, the villages of South Wexford have been ignored by our local government.” 

“Some will accuse me of being a parish pump politician. I have been called worse. If some of these critics had acted positively while elected instead of grandstanding on international issues far beyond their remit, then maybe they would still be sitting in the Council chamber instead of shouting from the sidelines.”

Codd: Wexford County Council should oversee growth of 10,000 native trees in next 5 years

A newly elected rep is endorsing an ambitious plan for Wexford County Council to oversee the growth of 10,000 native trees in the county over the next five years. Cllr Jim Codd said that he felt this was a very necessary measure to help combat our greenhouse gas emissions and prevent massive EU environmental fines.

“I would hope that my new Council colleagues would back a plan to hand out 10,000 native Irish trees free of charge to local groups and individuals who would then plant and care for the trees,” Cllr Codd said. “It’s critical that these are native plants such as Ash, Willow, Alder and Birch, as oppose to the quick grow conifers favoured by the commercial forestry industry. Only 2% of the state is currently covered with native trees.”

“The government's national strategic plan for forestry in Ireland is to expand from 11% to 18% of land area by 2046. According to EU targets, Ireland must reach a greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 30% from 2005 figures by 2030. To do this, we will have to plant a minimum of 15,000 hectares per annum.”

“Most of this will be achieved by Coilltes commercial forestry and grants offers to farmers, but this will not be enough and will feature very little inclusion of native species which are more time consuming to grow. The answer is for the County Council to reach out to concerned individuals, especially those in rural Wexford who on average will live on half acre sites, and offer them these plants for free as well as guidance to grow them properly. Community and Tidy Towns groups already avail of an annual planting grant. This should now be altered to a strictly native tree planting grant.”

“This year Wexford County Council and Gorey Tidy Towns are teaming up with locals in a bid to plant 400 native trees for the Gorey 400 celebrations. This is proof of what can be achieved. I believe that there would be great take up from community groups, sports clubs and schools if our native tree project was rolled out countywide. 10,000 trees in five years might sound like a lot, but it’s very little when we realise the threat of fines we are facing from the EU if we don’t take action.”

Codd wants your views on rural regeneration

A newly elected Wexford County Councillor is planning to travel the Rosslare LEA, holding public think ins and meeting local groups, in an effort to establish a rural regeneration unit in the electoral district. Cllr Jim Codd said that he hoped to hold up to twenty events before the end of the year as part of an initiative to save rural Wexford.

 “Rural Wexford is on its knees,” Cllr Codd said. “Even now, five years after the apparent end of the recession, we are struggling to create real employment, sustainable business and unceasing prospects in our rural villages and communities. I feel one of the problems is a decidedly dire lack of cohesive planning and thinking among the very many different organisations, communities and small businesses that make up our rural sphere.”

 “In the next few months I plan on holding a series of public think ins, encompassing everyone from business people to community activists to farmers to sporting organisations to ordinary citizens, in an effort to create the most efficient model for a rural regeneration unit for this area. This unit would be integral to the establishment of a unified tourism plan for the area, the identification and roll out of sustainability projects and the creation of food co-opts for local growers and suppliers. It would also identify projects that support job creation, entrepreneurship and innovation, such as enterprise hubs and creative hubs.” 

“There is already much we can learn from what is working in our district, such as the rejuvenation of old buildings in Bridgetown for small commercial entities, the creation of walking paths on GAA grounds and the social inclusion offered by story telling groups. What we want is to encourage encourage residential living and sustainable commercial development in villages, utilising old and maybe vacant buildings, the creation of rural based employment and the development of a more coherent and dynamic tourism plan.” 

“The National Rural Regeneration and Development Fund will provide €1 billion in investment over the next 10 years to support the renewal of small towns, villages and outlying rural areas, as part of Project Ireland 2040. The fund will support ambitious, collaborative projects in rural settlements of less than 10,000 people and outlying areas, and will contribute to sustainable rural regeneration. It will also support job creation in rural areas. It’s my hope that a rural regeneration unit in the Rosslare LEA, working with the co-operation of Wexford County Council, could greatly enhance life for everyone in our area.”

Fishermen need to be treated fairly by Tax office – Codd

A newly elected County Councillor has called for greater fairness and common sense in how the Department of Revenue deals with self employed fishermen. Cllr Jim Codd said that some fishermen are suffering huge mental anguish as a result of constantly changing tax regulations.

 “Fishing crews out of Kilmore Quay often work eighteen hour days,” Cllr Codd said. “They are incredibly hard working and operating in often dangerous conditions where ones wits are required. They are not accountants and, spending so much time off shore, find it difficult to handle the paperwork involved.”

 “Many skippers of fishing vessels are classed as self employed despite simply managing someone else’s boat. Despite asking for their tax to be deducted at source for many years, they are still treated the same as a small business owner. Operating under these restrictions while spending most of your time away from land is just not possible.”

 “Recently a series of audits and seemingly harsh treatment of certain skippers by Revenue has left many fishermen in a state of worry. Our fishing communities have already been run into the ground by unrealistic EU quotas and unsympathetic national and local government, and now they are further harassed with penalties and restrictions despite all meeting payment plans to stay compliant.”

 “The easiest way to handle this situation is to deduct tax at source for the fishermen who fall into this category. The alternative is putting many local fishing crews out of business and further damaging the sustainability of communities like Kilmore Quay.”

Codd wants to rebrand rural Wexford

Local Election candidate Jim Codd has said that a serious rebranding of rural Wexford is needed if it’s going to survive. The Rosslare rep plans to organise a new rural regeneration unit to tackle the major afflictions facing our communities.

“I’m told consistently while canvassing that rural Wexford has not been represented by either national or local government,” the Aontu rep said. “Many of the villages across South Wexford have lost their post offices, Garda stations and businesses. Villages like Duncormick, Murrintown and Tomhaggard have been reduced to empty shells of their former selfs. Despite plenty of talk, no efficient effort has been made by Wexfords politicians to save our rural communities.”

“I’m interested in holding meetings across the rural communities of the Rosslare LEA if elected, with a view of establishing a new rural regeneration unit. I would see this group being integral to the establishment of a unified tourism plan for the area, the identification and roll out of sustainability projects and the creation of food co-opts for local growers and suppliers.”

“It’s very important that we can use models that are working as templates such as the seemingly natural growth of small businesses in converted out buildings in Bridgetown or the success of farmers markets. It’s vital that we give young people an opportunity and a reason to stay in rural Wexford while we still have a rural Wexford to stay in.”