Green Party councillors on Bray Town Council have been extremely critical of Labour Party councillors on Bray Town Council after they refused to support a proposal to charge a fair rent to commercial operators for the use of Bray seafront during the Bray Summerfest.

Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca made her criticisms known after Tuesday evening’s meeting of Bray Town Council at which the 2007 Budget was adopted. “We had a lengthy discussion about the fact that Bray Town Council hands the Esplanade over to the Summerfest organisers every summer for a three week period” says de Burca. “These organisers then invite a very large commercial company in to operate rides and amusements on the seafront for 21 consecutive days. This is not put out to tender and the council does not receive a penny for the use of the seafront. The Green Party suggested that we charge a fair rent for the use of the seafront and give the money raised to community and sporting groups in the town who badly need the funding”.

De Burca says that Labour Party councillors refused to support this proposal as they claimed that the organisers would “pull out” of organising the festival if this happened. “I find it hard that a political party that claims it is committed to social justice and community development could vote against a proposal like this and use such a weak excuse” she says. “There certainly is a lot of money changing hands on the seafront during the three weeks of the Summerfest. The Labour Party seems to want to see all of this money remaining in private hands”

“We saw the same pattern when the vote on handing over the Boathouses and Harbour Shed to community groups came in front of Bray Town Council in 2005” she says. “Several Labour Party members voted against handing over the public buildings to the community groups. The two Labour councillors who did support the community groups getting the use of these public buildings only agreed to support the proposal at the last minute. I found this incredible and I find their reluctance to look for a fair rent for the use of the seafront equally incredible. These people cannot call themselves socialists – or anything like it”.

Green Party councillor, Caroline Burrell, says Dunlaoghaire Rathdown County Council receives 1,500 euros per day for renting out Kilgobbet Park to funfairs. “Bray Esplanade is a much more attractive commercial space for rides and a carnival than Kilgobbet Park” says Cllr Burrell. “It is unacceptable that we hand over this valuable public asset to a private operator to make very large profits and don’t expect any funds back to improve amenities in the town. The amusements operator who was on the seafront this summer pays 10,000 euros per day to the RDS in Ballsbridge. He must think Christmas has come when he gets to Bray and can use the seafront for 21 days without paying the Town Council a penny!! The Bray Budget 2007 was an opportunity to address this issue and the Labour Party refused to do so. No wonder the town of Bray is in such a run-down state”.

Filed under:
Press Release by Deirdre