Council unanimously adopts emergency motion ‘to ensure the recovery of Dublin City’

An emergency motion tabled by the Fine Gael group was unanimously adopted at the Dublin City Council meeting held on Monday.  

The motion acknowledged the steps and actions taken to date by the recently appointed Dublin City Council Director of City Recovery, Coilín O’Reilly, and asked for ‘ambitious measures to be put in place to revitalise and re-energise Dublin City.’

Some of the measures requested include: that the necessary steps be taken now to introduce previously agreed appointment of a Night-Time Mayor for the City as this would support night-time culture post-COVID-19; a more ambitious roll-out of car-free streets in the city centre which could also enable accessible outdoor dining hubs, to introduce more parklets, pro-social outdoor spaces to encourage safe cultural events, gigs, music and arts performances, as well as spaces for outdoor markets; public toilets to be put in place in areas of high footfall across the City including public parks; additional litter bins to be provided and for bins to be emptied more than once a day in areas of high footfall,

Fine Gael Councillor on Dublin City, Cllr. Colm O’Rourke, said:

“The recently appointed Director of City Recovery, Coilín O’Reilly, is not long in the role but has already implemented several significant measures.

“I think this needs to be acknowledged because the actions being taken now will help Dublin recover from the impact of COVID-19 because that impact is a worry. However, I am confident Dublin City will bounce back with the right measures in place.

“The City of Dublin deserves ambitious plans to make sure it is known as a City of good vibes for many years to come, and somewhere people regard as a pleasure to live, work, shop or socialise in.

“Due to COVID-19, more people are working from home, and I think that will remain the case for many people even when the impact of Covid-19 eases. After this pandemic, we need to give people a reason to explore and spend time in the City. We need Dublin to be an attractive place, somewhere that is vibrant and safe. If we do not, the economy of Dublin could be seriously impacted.

“As well as the elaborate ideas, the basic things need to be implemented too which will make living in Dublin a lot better, such as more public toilets that are safe and clean, more public bins, more car-free areas in the city centre and areas to be created that allow for safe outdoor gigs and markets.

“After the pandemic, I think that people will embrace outdoor culture better than they did before the pandemic. We need to prepare for that as a City. We need to make sure that Dublin City is a pro-social environment that people can enjoy with their families and friends.

“A Night-Time Mayor is a position that has been called for by many previously. The steps should be taken now to ensure that role is in place, particularly for a post-pandemic as Dublin needs a dedicated mayor to deal with the night-time social scene in Dublin City.

“Covid has changed everything, including our night-time scene, so it has never been as important for a Night-Time Mayor to be in place to advocate for cultural activities in the City and to be an essential liaison with An Garda Síochána to improve the safety of the City.”