Children

• Ensure a maximum class size of 25 in primary schools.
• Provide an extra €1 billion on Education every year for the next 10 years to bring our system up to standard.
• Increase childcare and ensure enforcement of quality standards

Waste

• The introduction of a complete doorstep recycling service in towns and villages, and mobile collections in rural areas.
• NO to incineration and superdumps.
• Free waste collection for elderly and unemployed.
• Cleaning up our streets and the full enforcement of the Litter Pollution Act

Energy

• Set a target of 50% of energy needs to be provide by renewables by 2020.
• Emphasis on conservation as well as alternative sources of supply.
• Double the energy efficiency of new homes, reducing energy bills.
• Seek an all-party approach to long-tern energy policy
• A comprehensive plan to make Ireland a net exporter of energy by becoming the Green Energy source for Europe

Health

• Keeping Loughlinstown Accident and Emergency Unit open.
• Cutting hospital queues and waiting lists by providing more beds and more primary health care facilities at a local level with smaller hospitals and clinics closer to the patients served.
• Planning for a new central hospital for Wicklow in the longer term.
• Provide medical cards for all children six and under.
• Free full medical cards for low and medium income families.
• More investment in preventative medicine.
• Restrict alcohol promotion and involve the Health Services in the licensing of pubs and clubs so that health aspects can be taken into account.

Planning

• Ensuring an open, fair and transparent planning system that treats everybody equally.
• Full community involvement in drawing up Local Area Plans.
• Providing local comunities with proper notification and adequate consultation processes in relation to any new developments in their areas.

Housing

• Fast-tracking the council's social/affordable housing programme in Wicklow.
• Ensuring that the housing needs of Wicklow people are prioritised.
• Nationally ensuring the provision of 10,00 affordable homes a year until the waiting lists are cleared.
• Tax the profits from land rezoning and give the money to local counsils to provide social housing. Relief from Stamp Duty for older people who want to "downsize".
• POrovide secure long-term tenure for renters in oreder to give people an alternative to owning a home.
• Promoting higher building standards and ensuring energy-efficient, well-designed houses for all.

Transport

• Reverse the ratio of spending on roads vs. public transport which has been 4:1 in favour of roads.
• Providing a modern and effective rail service for Wicklow.
• More rural buses.
• Provide safe pedestrian and cycle routes, especially for childreen going to school.
• Proper compensation for property owners whose land is subject to CPO for road improvements.

Local Government Reform

• Ensuring open, acountable local government.
• Greater public access to information, including in electronic form (e.g. minutes of council meetings, planning information).
• More community representatives on policy-making bodies within the council.
• No to privatisation of vital public services.

Rural Development

• Maintaining rural villages through investment in community centres and social and recreational facilities for all.
• Promoting and developing rural enterprise, including organic farming, renewable energy and sustainable forestry projects.

Protecting the Environment

• Making sure that the highest levels of protection are in place for greenbelts, wetlands, special landscapes and amenity areas in the county.
• Proper conservation of heritage sites and buildings.
• Strict enforcement of laws against illegal dumping.
• Place a moratorium on incineration, set a date for phasing out landfills and fast-track the development of reclcling infrastructure.
• Keeping Wicklow and all of Ireland free of geneticlly modified crops.
• The provision of pure, safe drinking water for ALL the people of Wicklow.
• Bringing Ireland into compliance with all EU environmental directives.

Crime

• Reverse the closure of rural Garda stations.
• Provide more Gardaí, especially in the community; e.g. mountain-bike units.
• Fully implement the existing Children's Act to counter anti-social and criminal behaviour instead of introducing ASBOs.

Taxation

• Ensure the rich pay their fair shre by abolishing schemes with little social, economic and environmental benefits but are used for tax avoidance.
• Reintroduce the levy on bank profits at 5%.
• Make tax credits refundable sop that those who do not pay tax will get the same benefit in the form of a cash payment.

See Also:

The Core Green Party Principles

Wicklow Green's Press Releases