Anti Refuse Charges Meeting Cork

cork | bin tax / household tax / water tax | news report Tuesday October 21, 2003 20:50 by james - wsm personal capacity

HASC holds meeting in Cork.

Householders Against service Charges meeting Mayfield Cork Monday 20th October

About fifty people gathered in Mayfield GAA club in the first of a series of meetings re launching the campaign against the refuse charges in Cork city. the meeting was adddressed by Paddy Mulcahy and Ted Tynan both jailed in 1991 for non-payment of the water charges. There was clear determination in the voices of people from the floor of the hall. The mood was defiant. Leaflets were distributed advising people on how to survive non-collection.
Just three years ago 7 people were jailed in Cork city as part of the campaign against the first attempt at non -collection. HASC members then brought their refuse to the City Hall when it was left uncollection. Fines led to imprisonment. The campaign succeeded with the corporation backing down. A few weeks later the High court ruled that the council had to collect under the Health Acts, these were subsequently camended by the government to allow for non- collection. The first to suffer from this were in Dublin, but the plan was afoot for the rest of the country. Threatening letters have gone out in Cork city to all households. November 17th is the designated day for the begining of non-collection in Cork and forces are being gathered for the showdown.
The key isue now is to organise as many areas as possible, get people aware of the alternatives to Corporation collection and organise tactics to put the council on the defensive.