Cork City South Central: Long-standing councillor bows out but five will go again in local elections

ALL but one of the six sitting councillors in the city’s South Central ward will be looking to retain their seats when the next council is elected in June.

In a ward which encompasses areas such as the city centre, Ballyphehane, Greenmount, Turner’s Cross and part of Douglas, current elected members have set their sights on the provision of additional housing, footpath repairs and ongoing engagement with the National Transport Authority (NTA) over BusConnects plans as key priorities if re-elected.

Just one councillor in the ward, Independent councillor Mick Finn, has decided to bow out after serving three terms – including a stint as Lord Mayor.

“By the time this council term ends, I will have served for 15 years on the council and I think it’s time somebody else had a go,” Mr Finn said, speaking last August when he made the announcement.

The five sitting councillors contesting the next local election comprise veteran politicians Seán Martin, Dan Boyle, Fiona Kerins, Paudie Dineen and council newcomer Shane O’Callaghan - who secured his seat in the 2019 local election.

Of those, Fianna Fáil councillor Seán Martin claims the longest-serving term on council, first co-opted in 1997 to the seat vacated by his brother, current Tánaiste Micheál Martin, following his ministerial appointment after that year’s general election.

Speaking to The Echo, Mr Martin said housing is an issue he is passionate about seeking improvement on.

“Housing is obviously an issue. I’m not immune from it – I have four children myself, a few are after buying houses at this stage, but it’s an area I’m well aware of the problems facing young people in relation to trying to purchase their first home or trying to get an affordable home,” he said.

“The other issue is footpath repairs.

“As chairman of finance [Cork City Council’s finance committee], I’ve now asked city council to take down a €10m loan to put into the footpaths.

“What we have in central government at the moment is we have huge investment in greenways and cycleways, but we have very little investment in old footpaths and I would argue that 90 odd per cent of people walk before they’d cycle and we need to address that imbalance,” he said.

Housing was also identified as a key priority for Green Party councillor Dan Boyle. “I think we’re doing better than other local authorities but it will continue to be the major political issue,” he said.

The long-serving councillor, whose political career has also comprised a stint as a TD and Senator, said he is confident he has “something to contribute” if re-elected to Cork City Council.

“There are things that I’ve helped bring about and I’d like to see further development on.

“I think the last five years have been good for the city, there has been considerable investment, there’s investment coming. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up.

“There are things, particularly in the city centre, that we need to do a lot better on, like dereliction, making better use of buildings, having more people living in the city centre, introducing more greenery and open space – these are things we made progress on, but I’ll be looking for support from voters to try and bring further,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin councillor Fiona Kerins is also asking for the support of voters when they head for the polling stations on June 7.

Ms Kerins first ran for election in 2004 and was co-opted in 2007.

“All in all, I have served 17 years on Cork City Council.

“I am seeking re-election because I believe there is a lot more work that needs to be done in my constituency that I feel I can advocate for.

“My priorities going forward are for increased funding for housing maintenance – a lot of social housing in my constituency has come of age and requires investment in the maintenance of them.

“This would be one of the top issues that I would be contacted on regularly.

“I would also prioritise social and affordable housing in the area so that people living and working and that have children attending school in the area have an opportunity to live in the community that they have a connection to,” she said.

Ms Kerins said she would also advocate for an improvement in the condition of roads and footpaths in the city if re-elected.

“There is also demand for traffic calming in many areas and the budget for this at the moment is minuscule, I would seek to increase this.

“Pedestrian crossings in areas around schools and services are also my priority,” she added.

Independent councillor Paudie Dineen will have completed 10 years on council when the local elections roll around this summer.

“I’m seeking re-election once again in June. The purpose being is that I enjoy what I do, I enjoy helping people,” he said.

Mr Dineen said the work of a local councillor is “varied” and contended that, when it comes to his constituents, no issue is too small to warrant attention.

“It could be anything from an anchor to a needle.

“For instance, at the moment we have the Noonan’s Rd situation where the flats are facing demolition and we need to be looking at the current repairs.

“Then you’d have a person who might have something wrong with their gate – minor, it might sound, but very important to that person.

“Every issue is important to someone and needs resolution and my job then is to try and get that resolution for them in some way,” he said.

“It’s very rewarding when you get the results that people want, but that’s not always the case either.

“If there’s ever a situation where I think there’s not much I could do here, I am honest and I will tell them… every situation is different and every situation will have a different outcome, but you strive for the best outcome that’s possible.”

The fifth and final sitting councillor looking to retain his seat is Fine Gael’s Shane O’Callaghan.

“I really enjoy what I do. I really enjoy working for people, working for communities, solving problems on behalf of people, raising issues that are important to people,” he told The Echo.

Two key priorities for Mr O’Callaghan if he were to be re-elected is continued engagement with the NTA regarding the roll-out of the sustainable transport corridors (STCs).

Mr O’Callaghan said that during public consultation phases, he organised smaller online meetings with local residents and NTA staff to tease out various issues.

“I’ve found that they’ve been very helpful and local residents’ associations in different parts of my ward have been able to put their views forward and the BusConnects team have taken them on board and have made changes,” he said.

“I wish to continue to engage with local residents’ associations, local residents and the NTA, so as to ensure that it [the roll-out of the STCs] happens with as little disruption as possible to local community organisations and residents.” Footpath repairs is also an area of concern for Mr O’Callaghan.

“A lot of footpaths, certainly in the South Central ward and I’d imagine all over the city, have been underfunded.

“Footpath maintenance, footpath improvement works, have kind of fallen by the wayside because they haven’t got that much funding over the last number of years.

“If re-elected, I would strongly be arguing for extra funding from the Local Area Committee budget being put towards put to footpath maintenance, footpath restoration,” he said.

Reflecting on his experience in the council to date, Mr O’Callaghan said it has been a positive one.

“The vast majority of city councillors, in my experience, across all parties, are genuine people who genuinely do the best for people and genuinely do the best for communities,” he said.

‘Urban renewal, flood protection, sustainable transport should be priorities’

URBAN renewal and rejuvenation, flood protection, and sustainable transport are some of the areas that the leading business associations want prioritised when the next city council is elected.

Speaking to The Echo, chief executive of Cork Chamber, Conor Healy, said that projects such as the MacCurtain St revamp are crucial to enhancing the city. “There are a number of projects in the pipelines that I think will really help to improve our urban landscape,” Mr Healy said.

“The recent upgrades to the MacCurtain St area are an excellent example and it would be wonderful to see similar success replicated in other parts of the city,” he said.

“The rejuvenation of Bishop Lucey Park, as part of the overall Grand Parade Quarter, offers the opportunity to deliver an ambitious public-realm programme. This ambition for rejuvenation must be applied right across the city centre, if we are to uphold its appeal as a lively and attractive urban hub, addressing the issue of over-shop living as well,” Mr Healy said.

The planned redevelopment of the city’s docklands will have a “huge impact” on the city centre, in terms of urban renewal and additional accommodation, which Cork Chamber’s members are keen to progress. “The demand for accommodation in the city centre continues to be a top priority for our members and it requires all stakeholders to be aligned to ensure the delivery of viable, sustainable apartments,” he said.

Mr Healy said there is also a “great appetite” for improvements to public and sustainable transport offerings.

“It’s clear that some projects will take longer to deliver, so I think that we need to remain determined to make meaningful progress on those, while also being smart about what we can deliver in the shorter term,” he added.

Flood protection, Mr Healy said, is also a key concern for business owners and residents. “Our city centre traders and dwellers really deserve some protection from flooding, and delivery of the Morrison’s Island public-realm and flood-defence scheme must remain a priority,” he said.

This was echoed by Cork Business Association (CBA) president, Kevin Herlihy. “The main issue that we have is the anti-social behaviour that’s happening within the city, and the threat of flooding. Hopefully, the Morrison’s Island project is going to start soon,” Mr Herlihy said.

Mr Herlihy said that vacancy and dereliction should be a priority for those seeking to be elected.

“Ann Doherty [Cork City Council’s chief executive], to be fair to her, is passionate about trying to sort out all the vacant properties, the vacant sites, and I think the new council when they’re in, they really need to make that a priority,” he said.

“The footpaths are in very poor condition around the place and that needs to be sorted out as well, I think,” Mr Herlihy added.

New faces lining up for city council races in Cork’s South Central ward

VOTERS taking to the polling stations on June 7 will see some new faces on the ballot papers with several non-incumbents seeking to secure a seat in the city’s South Central ward.

While there is still time for new declarations, two first-time candidates are among those who have announced their intention to run for election.

Sinn Féin’s Luke McGrath, currently a political assistant to South Central TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, is one of the new candidates.

“I want to work hard and deliver meaningful improvements and be a strong voice for my community on Cork City Council,” Mr McGrath told The Echo.

“I have lived in the area my whole life; I understand the challenges facing households and have the determination to push for the change that is so badly needed.”

The provision of additional housing is the area of utmost importance to Mr McGrath.

“My main focus will be campaigning for a major ramping-up of affordable and social homes to buy and rent in Cork city and improvements to local services and infrastructure,” he said.

“Increased provision of quality public green spaces in urban areas and increased provision of accessible and affordable childcare will also be priorities for me,” Mr McGrath continued.

Improvements to public spaces and an increase in social and affordable housing are areas Social Democrats candidate Pádraig Rice would like to see action on if elected.

“The city needs to be properly cleaned and maintained.

“Public spaces need to be improved with more public toilets, playgrounds, small parks, benches, drinking water fountains and trees.

“The footpaths need to be fixed, and the roads need to be repaired,” he said.

“The second key issue is housing.

“Rents in Cork are unaffordable, and house prices are far too high for people on average incomes.

“We simply need far more houses to be built—but not any kind of housing—we need more affordable and social housing. It is the only way to end the housing crisis.

“Cork City Council has a key role to play in building these new sustainable communities,” the first-time candidate said, adding that further action on dereliction would be another key area of focus for him.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil candidate David Boyle is also seeking election in the ward.

Mr Boyle was previously elected as a county councillor in 2009 to 2014, as an Independent.

He joined Fianna Fáil in 2019 and ran in the local elections of that year seeking to be elected in the city’s South Central ward.

“I polled well but I did not get elected. I am currently running again in the South Central ward in 2024,” he told The Echo.

“I have a good understanding of the problems and challenges that we face as a community and if elected I will commit to working tirelessly to solving these problems.”

Mr Boyle said campaigning for a greater allocation of Gardaí to Cork city would be a key focus for him if elected.

Traffic and transport is also a “big issue on the doors at the moment”, he said.

“Finding solutions to improve the lives of people through excellent services will also be a priority.

“I will be a loud voice for community and sporting organisations in City Hall. I will fight to ensure there is a fair distribution of available resources,” he added.

Anna Daly is to contest the elections in the ward for Aontú.

At the time of going to print, she had not responded to requests for comment from The Echo.