Child benefit payments will be extended to include 18-year-olds, latter who remain in full-time education, with effect from May 1st next.
Ms Heather Humphreys (Minister for Social Protection) is expected to bring this proposal to Cabinet this morning.
This measure, which will also apply to children with a disability, was previously announced in Budget 2024, but was scheduled to begin from next September.
Ms Humphreys is expected to now inform the Cabinet today that the Department is in a position to implement this measure with effect from May 1st, next.
She will use social welfare legislation; same due before the Seanad this week, to implement this change.
The new policy change was initially designed as a cost-of-living measure.
In the early part of last month (December 2023) an elected Thurles town councillor, namely Mr Jim Ryan, correctly raised the clear possibility that the town could lose a vital car parking area, located on Cathedral Street.
The area sits adjacent to the now derelict, eyesore once known as the Munster Hotel.
Independent Councillor Mr Jim Ryan, who first raised the issue, stated that some existing 100 car parking spaces could be made unavailable, following a failure to agree on future rent sought by the owner of the Munster Hotel, Mr Martin Healy, and his current tenant, Tipperary County Council, with the facility set to be closed to the public on a date, confirmed by Mr Healy, possibly February 2024.
Cllr Ryan has correctly stated, that a lot of schools, shops, businesses and the religious facility nearby (Cathedral of the Assumption), all who benefit from the use of this car park on a daily basis will suffer huge inconvenience, when going about their normal business in Thurles.
Cllr Ryan has called on the relevant bodies (namely the declared owner of the car park and Tipp. Co. Council), to come together to find a compromise, thus ensuring that the car park in question remains open to the public.
In the meanwhile, Mr Healy, the named owner of the car park facility, has publicly stated that his dispute with Tipperary Co. Council is not about money, but instead, what he is looking for is a proper future lease that would involve better maintenance of the car park site; which of course confirms Cllr. Ryan’ statement that any such compromise will involve money.
In the days prior to Christmas week, 2023, Tipperary Co. Council officials appear to have taken the initiative to ensure that school buses will now move from the Munster Hotel car park area, unto Cathedral Street. This appears to be confirmed by the appearance of new road markings on both sides of the streetscape. (See Image shown left above).
If the car park is closed to the public, what will be the future possible consequences?
Keep in mind that presently, school buses arrive into Thurles and park between the hours 8:45am until 4:15pm each day, in this now disputed rented car parking area.
From February, the proposed car park closure will see these buses move unto both sides of Cathedral Street, leaving no spaces for would-be consumers, either in the car park itself or on the street outside.
Students of all ages attending secondary schools will now be places in decidedly greater danger, while attempting to board school buses in this area of heavy moving traffic.
This non availability to park vehicles, now presents existing tennants and their landlords; same running foodpremises, bookmaker establishments, hardware, dentistry, clothing, beauty, dry cleaning, charity and hair salon businesses, latter all currently trading in the immediate area; unable to attract and service regular consumers, in turn resulting in the nonpayment of rates, or at best found to be in serious arrears of same, thus leading to closures.
Attendances at the nearby Cathedral of the Assumption will be greatly reduced at daily Mass times, (which normally take place at 11:00am and 7:00pm on week days), with the elderly, in particular, now possibly forced to move to attend religious ceremonies in the nearby Church of St. Joseph and St. Brigid, in Bothar-na-Naomh, Thurles, where adequate free parking is readily available. Any such closure could cause greatest upset at funeral times, where people travelling great distances, particularly in winter time, will find no place to park in an already delibertly congested town, when wishing to attend such events in the Cathedral of the Assumption building.
Why does The Source Carparkremain closed. The recent fire in the carpark underneath the existing “The Source” library area has remained closed to the public for some time, even before two arson attacks; same having had its ceiling regularly attacked by “latch street kids” and others with “idle hands”. Latter travel around in small groups, while waiting for parents to return home from work. It was therefore no surprise that same area was set on fire, when strips of insulation was left unattended, dangling every-where in easy reach, from the ceiling area; within months of the building opening to a non attended political fanfare, back in 2006.
Where indeed will ticket paying consumers now park intent on attending Thurles Theatre and Thurles Library. Once again greed and poor planning; both have clearly “cut of their nose to spite their face”, a phrase which best expresses a needlessly, self-destructive, overreaction to a Thurles problem.
Time now for local councillors and their officials to inform their local electorate what exactly in going on at local government level. It is no longer acceptable for Councillors, TD’s and their officials, to treat their electorate like mushrooms – kept in the dark, and fed bullshit; while planned futures are being totally demolished.
It has become perfectly obvious that urban city planning ideas are now being mandatory enforced on rural, agricultural towns like Thurles, Co. Tipperary with disastrous consequences, forcing trading retail businesses to either close or fold their tents to move elsewhere.
Anyone who visited Dublin City recently will know that only public transport, cyclists and pedestrians can now get into and around its increasingly menacing streets, with any degree of efficiently.
That is all well and good in Dublin with its network of buses, trams and taxis. Here in rural Thurles such public transport is very limited. There isn’t a Dart tram line to be found running from rural Upperchurch or indeed Two-mile-Borris or Littleton villages every 15 minutes. Indeed there is not one single bus shelter to be found in Thurles, to protect a prospective bus passenger from our inclement weather.
For those who wish to view what exactly will be forced on the residents and businesses of this once prosperous midland town, take a look here: N62-Slievenamon-Road-Phase-2.pdf
NOTE Page 6 of the above pdf: “Some of the key interventions that this strategy will deliver include significant investment in the provision of safe, segregated infrastructure to protect those walking and cycling on our roads, and initiatives to promote modal shift from motor vehicle travel to support environmental, safety and health objectives.”
See also what is planned in the Draft Discussion maps for Slievenamon Road, shown here: N62-Slievenamon-Road-Map.pdf.
Question: Where are the Cycle Paths either on a half upgraded Liberty Square, town centre or on this newly designed, still to be revamped, Slievenamon Road plan? Answer: Non existent.
This October 2022 plan will most certainly drive home that final nail in our town centre’s coffin. However, the local electorate, (now remaining surprisingly silent), can express their anger, during local elections, expected to be held possible next March.
A Bankers Card has been found in the vicinity of Kickham Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary this evening.
Same has been left into the Ely’s Centra Supermarket, situated at the Junction of Ikerrin Road and Kickham Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, [Eircode E41 XR66], for collection by the owner.
Note Please: Owner will be asked to identify themselves before the card can be retrieved.
Week beginning November 20th, 2023: Some 46,500 households will receive the Working Family Payment of an extra €400. Some 214,000 people in receipt of the Disability Support Grant will also receive a bonus of €400. A €300 Fuel Allowance lump sum will also be paid to some 409,000 households.
Week beginning November 27th 2023: Persons in receipt of the Carers Support Grant will receive a bonus of a €400 payment. Some 237,0000 mostly those older people who receive the living alone allowance will receive an extra €200. A €100 bonus will be paid in respect of 370,000 children in receipt of Qualified Child Benefit. More than 2,000,000 households will have €150 taken off their electricity bill with effect from December 1st, 2023.
Week beginning December 4th 2023: Each person in receipt of welfare payment will receive a double Christmas bonus payment. They will also receive a double Child Benefit payment of €280 per child.
Week beginning January 29th, 2024: A second double payment of all welfare payments will be paid to recipents of State Benifits. Weekly rates of qualified child payments will increase by €4 in January 2024 bringing them to €54 for those aged 12 and over and €46 for under 12s. Income thresholds for the Working Family Payment will increase by €54 per week regardless of family size from January 2024. Hot School Meals will be extended on a phased basis in 2024, to all non-DEIS primary schools, latter who applied as part of the expression of interest. Cost of living bonus for people with disabilities, pensioners, carers, and those unemployed. Social welfare payments will increase by €12 each week with effect from the beginning of January.
Please note* The once off payment of €400 to those people getting Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension and/or Carer’s Support Grant, is only payable in respect of one payment, even if people qualify for more than one of the payments or are caring for more than one person.
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