Aontú rep for Ashbourne and candidate in this year’s local elections, Brandon Scott, has called a community meeting for tonight Thursday, February 29, in the Ashbourne House Hotel, where he and Aontú leader, Peadar Tóibín TD, will address the key issues associated with his electoral area: Anti-social behaviour, the cost of living, and public transport. The meeting will start at half 7.
Explaining the rationale behind his choices, Scott said: “These are the issues that I’ve been recurringly confronted with at the doors and the issues people urgently want to find solutions to.
“Many families live in fear due to persistent anti-social behaviour – some are at their wits end because they feel like they have no support in tackling the usual few culprits. Staff in some of the local businesses have told me that some days they live in fear due to the wanton anti-social behaviour that is taking place in shops across the town. Many feel demoralised and personally can’t envision this improving because of the shameless behaviour of those tormenting their stores.
“We know Meath has the lowest number of Gardai per capita in Ireland. The Gardai do such a brilliant job – we want to support them and ensure that they have the requisite resources to fully maximise their protection of the citizens of the town.
“It’s been long-established now, but the bus services in Ashbourne are simply unfit for purpose and cancellations still occur on a daily basis. Buses may be at capacity after a number of stops. An efficient public transport system is vital in Ashbourne simply because people in the town are so reliant on the bus services provided.
“Development has surged in recent years – that is plain to see, but the infrastructure provided does not match the continuous growth of the town’s population. The people of Ashbourne shouldn’t have to be forced to continuously remind politicians about the lack of public park and other family-friendly amenities in the town. New developments will likely accommodate young families and we need to ensure that those who are raising children in Ashbourne are doing so in an environment that is receptive to their needs. We can’t just continue to build houses …. We need to build communities.
“Ashbourne is a wonderful community of people and people desperately want to see it thrive. But we need to be assured that we are getting the best out of our political representatives and moving forward in the correct way.
“This is a wide-ranging forum for the people of Ashbourne and those in the wider electoral area to express their concerns and opinions on how the town has been functioning over the last few years. Aontú and I want to see you there.”
