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.”

Pay our fishermen to collect plastic from sea – Codd

The Aontu Local Election candidate for the Rosslare LEA has called for fishermen from Kilmore Quay and other Irish ports to be paid for collecting plastics while out at sea. Jim Codd said that such a plan might give fishermen a lifeline in the face of extreme economic hardship motivated by unsustainable EU Quotas and the Irish political establishments utter failure to represent them.

 “Wexford fishing vessels are picking up plastic debris in their nets everyday,” Mr Codd said. “The Irish Government had promised to provide funding through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to provide storage facilities on board Irish fishing vessels and financial incentive to enable our boats to bring this waste home. So far, little has been done to achieve this.”

 “Fishing crews out of Kilmore Quay and other Wexford harbours are suffering incredible financial hardship as a result of unsustainable EU Fishing quotas and our own political establishments utter failure to represent them. Representing fishermen means more than holding public meetings every time that there’s an election. It means fighting their corner and ensuring their survival.”

 “The EMFF funding is also intended for the construction of on-shore facilities and infrastructure for the environmentally friendly disposal of all plastics, waste, ghost fishing gear, etc recovered at sea. These on-shore facilities will also be available for fishermen to dispose of unwanted fishing gear and other items with plastic content.”

"Up to 80% Of marine debris floating off our beautiful coastline is made up of plastics yet not one of our current crop of County Councillors, who claim to be very green when it suits them, have ever brought any plan or proposal before our local government, or approached local fishermen, in order to tackle this crisis.”

Codd: We'll put drivers lessons into Schools

Rosslare LEA candidate Jim Codd has vowed to fight to make Wexford the site of the first Secondary School driving lesson programme. The Aontu rep said that a similar programme to a recent New Zealand pilot project could result in drastic improvements to road safety and insurance prices for younger drivers.

Mr Codd said;

“A recent pilot programme in New Zealand’s Massey University saw the successful rollout of a comprehensive driving programme to 16 year olds in a secondary school environment. The results of the programme were increased road safety among participants, a much higher success rate on participants driving tests and, ultimately, lower insurance quotes for those who had participated. Other key benefits included a boost to teens sense of independence and development as responsible adults, as well as reducing family tensions that can arise when parents are the main driving instructors.”

“At the start of the programme, students studied the road code and did practice online tests to sit their provisional licence. Students who failed any part of their licence were given extra support to re-sit until they passed. During the six months they were required to have a learner licence before they could sit their restricted licence test, they spent time in the school holidays with instructors and mentors who taught them the basics of driving.”

“They then received six one-hour driving lessons from a professional driving instructor throughout the next six months, as well as additional 52 hours practice with mentors (family, friends of family, community volunteers – including retired police officers and business people).” “The benefits of such a programme being rolled out in Ireland would be huge. As it stands many young people struggle to get driving, which often means they can’t get to work or college. Much of this could be cut out if secondary school students were leaving school with a full driving licence. It would lead to an inevitable average reduction in young people’s car insurance and road accidents.”

“This is a project I will fight to see become a reality here and Wexford is the perfect place for a pilot scheme.” 

Codd supports CE supervisors in strike action

Community Employment Supervisors are going on strike tomorrow after being refused legitimate rights to a pension scheme, according to Rosslare LEA election candidate Jim Codd. The Aontu rep has condemned the government’s handling of both scheme participants and CE supervisors.

“Despite obviously being state workers, CE Supervisors are denied their right to a pension because the government has managed to categorise them as community employees,” Mr Codd said. “This is blatant misrepresentation of the situation as clearly CE Supervisors have full time, 39 hour per week jobs while community scheme participants are engaging in what is suppose to be temporary employment with a view to gaining skills that will get them full time employment. It’s obvious that CE Supervisors are job activation officers and should have the same rights to a pension as an intreo employee.”

“I support the CE Supervisors fully in their legitimate strike action to force the government to implement a 2008 Labour Court ruling to grant them a pension scheme. The Minister should meet with the union representing these workers immediately and resolve this issue.”

“An issue arising out of this is that Community Employment schemes were established in the early 1990s at a time of mass unemployment as an emergency, temporary measure. Instead it has now become an industry and the provision of this subsidised cheap employment is vital to a wide range of organisations and community groups. It seems to me that the government is setting out to screw both the CE Supervisors and the Community Employees here.”

Cole: Wexford needs a market to be a market town

Local Election Candidate Elaine Cole has proposed a radical five year plan to revive Wexford as a market town. The Aontu candidate has put forward steps including the establishment of a local online shopping hub co-operative, rates reductions by dramatically reducing rate rebates on vacant commercial premises and the creation of an ‘empty shops network.’

“Wexford people have always been proud of their market town,” Mrs Cole said. “From it’s birth, Wexford has flourishing as a trading point and indeed some of its iconic features, like the Bullring derive from market places. In recent years, the retail apocalypse has taken its toll on the town. High rent and rates, and the detrimental effects of online giants like Amazon have sent family run businesses to the wall.”

“Up until now, our local politicians have said little about the collapse of local family businesses. There’s been no protests to decry the effects of unrestricted online capitalism on local family businesses as the issue is not seemed trendy enough. No one has represented these traders and fought their corner in the council chambers.”

“Wexford needs a dramatic innovative plan to bring back our market town. The next council must use it’s five year term to do everything possible to revive our main street and market areas. I propose lowering commercial rates and reducing the rate rebates on vacant commercial property in the next council budget.”

“There will be plenty of businesses looking to rent property if rent and rates are made sustainable. In the meantime, the establishment of an empty shops network to fill vacant units with social entrepeurship like small markets, theatres and live music venues could dramatically reduce the empty properties around our town and create the community atmosphere around our streets that will allow commerce to thrive.”

“Aontu is also proposing the setting up of local online shopping hubs which would act as trade co-operatives, allowing expertise, tech and discount postage rates to be spread between SMEs in a locality. Aontú will work to establish an online e-commerce platform, providing local businesses an opportunity to compete in the digital age. E- marketplace would put local products and services within a click of a button to consumers across the county and into the global marketplace. A countywide, united approach would ensure it is cost-effective, professional and mobile friendly service for the consumer, while also maximising online traffic for the retailer.”

“We would also like to see Wexford County Council adopt a ‘incubator rent’ model which would allow start ups with a clear business plan subsidised rent relief for a set period. This could be the crucial difference that would keep new small businesses in action long enough to become sustainable.”

“We estimate that Wexford retailers could boost their annual income by up to 500% under these plans. By 2020 Irish consumers will be spending €10 billion online. For our local councillors not to take action and keep their heads buried in the sand knowing these figures, indicates incompetence and unwillingness to serve the small business community and the families and workers they provide for.”

“Austerity didn't work with the country, and it is continuing at local and national level even though the government say its not and say we're out of recession. A decade on and we're seeing austerity measures on Wexford towns main street, in our villages and rural enterprise. That will not lift the town or the county. It prohibits growth and strangles entrepreneurship and development. Austerity needs to be left behind for a local economic model that fosters businesses rather than puts up barriers.” 

Over 5000 Wexford people on hospital waiting lists – Codd

According to the latest statistics, there are now over 5000 Wexford people on hospital waiting lists, spread out between Wexford General, Waterford Regional and several Dublin hospitals. Jim Codd, Aontu rep for Rosslare, has called for emergency measures to utilise all available private beds until the waiting list is cleared back.

“The hospital waiting list crisis has been ongoing for a decade now with no end in sight,” Mr Codd said. “Over 5000 Wexford people are currently stuck on hospital waiting lists. Many are waiting for over a year. There is no doubt that these incredible waiting lists have caused deaths.”

“Aontu believes that all available capacity, every bed and room whether private or public, must be utilised now to deal with the terrible backlogs that have left three quarters of a million citizens on waiting lists. Funding for the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) should be front-loaded not randomly rationed year after year so as to eliminate the present unacceptable waiting times for public patients.”

“There is a bureaucratic mess within the HSE. Every government and Health Minister faces an near impossible task to shift deadwood in management who are draining health funding. Opposition parties put motions before their county council’s calling on Ministers to deal with the issue but these are effective for nothing except publicity for the councillors. No one is actually tackling the waiting lists which continue to grow.”

“This is an crisis situation and emergency measures are required. Standing around with placards or putting forward weak council motions have accomplished nothing for the sick and elderly people stuck on hospital lists. It’s done nothing to stop people dying from curable conditions or help their bereaved relatives come to terms with their loss. It’s time to stop playing politics. The problem with our health system lays within the system and it will never be fixed until we are brave enough to acknowledge that and begin to deal with these inefficiencies.” 

64% rise in children seeking psychiatric help in Wexford General A&E

Aontu election candidate Jim Codd has voiced his disgust at the HSE for presiding over a 64% increase in children requiring psychiatric help at Wexford General Hospitals A&E. Mr Codd said that this was proof that the HSEs failure to deal with the CAMHS crisis in Wexford was having catastrophic effects.

“It’s been a year since we've had a full time consultant child psychiatrist in Wexford,” Mr Codd said. “According to the Wexford Mental Health Warriors, who cite government figures, we only have 5.5 CAMHS staff for 80,000 people in South Wexford instead of the government recommended 11 staff for every 50,000. It’s no wonder these young people are showing up at the A&E. There’s no where else to go for help.”

“A 64% rise in five years is startling but the shocking thing is that these numbers will continue to rise unless action is taken. A new CAMHS facility is needed in Wexford immediately or else we will not be able to attract child psychiatrists to our area. Real efforts need to be made to solve this crisis now instead of leaving it off to be a general election issue that the government can win votes with.”

Use of unpaid trial periods of employment is outrageous and illegal – Codd

Businesses advertising jobs with the requirement of carrying out unpaid trial periods are engaged in illegal exploitation of workers, according to a local election candidate. Jim Codd of Aontu said that the use of stipulations demanding unpaid labour ‘up front’ to gain employment represented a new low in Irish employment.

“It’s come to my attention that some employers, mainly in the service industry, demand unpaid labour from potential employees,” Mr Codd said. “This is illegal as the National Minimum Wage Act does not contain any exemption for work trials, and failure to pay the minimum wage is punishable by a fine not exceeding €2,500 or a prison sentence not exceeding six months. The Restaurants Association of Ireland and the Vintners Association have both came out hard against unpaid trials.”

“So desperate is our current labour market, that some young people put a note on their CVs to indicate that they are happy to offer unpaid work in a trial if it helps their chances of getting a job. Even in these situations, any employer taking advantage is clearly exploring the worker and breaking the law.”

“These type of situations shouldn’t exist in a healthy labour market. If our economy was as strong as the government claims, and jobs were as freely available to all, then unpaid trials would not exist. This is a symptom of a much larger issue; a fake economy that has been allowed to develop in the wake of recession and has resulted in 100,000 people in employment living in poverty in this state.” 

Codd launches with pop song

Jim Codd has become the first of this year’s local election candidates in County Wexford to have his own campaign song tailored made for him. “Give Jim Codd the Nod” was unveiled at the Aontu candidates official launch in Rathangan last Saturday night by local band L.I.V.E.L.Y. and their young support base.

 “Two months ago I was marking homework, reading books and fishing in the evenings,” Mr Codd said. “Now I’m trust into political work and even have my own campaign song. It’s more than a little surreal.”

 Mr Codd, a teacher at Bridgetown College, said he was both surprised and humbled by the amount of support he had received over the past few weeks. “I’m meeting people I might have taught twenty years ago and they’re saying they’ll vote for me, that they trust me and that, above all, County Wexford needs radical change. I’m meeting people every single day who are working longer hours but seem to be earning less. The working poor are the forgotten citizens of this Republic. No one speaks up for them.”

 “I took on this task reluctantly because I believed a stand had to be made against the tired, ineffective and manicured politics that had replaced integrity and public spirit over the years. I’m glad I did now because I have met so many former students, people who left my school as hard working, clever and idealistic young people, who are being cheated and worn down by this failed state and our ‘talent contest hopeful’ politicians, who will do only the things that award good publicity and ignore the hard decisions and the needs of ordinary citizens.”