Monday, March 05, 2012

Ó Ríordáin & Horgan-Jones host first Senior Citizens Forum

Labour Party TD for Dublin North Central Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Cllr. Jane Horgan-Jones hosted the first Senior Citizens Forum in Carleton Hall, Marino to address the many national and local issues affecting older persons in the community.

The Forum’s attendance was close to seventy as participants debated an array of issues ranging from community policing to the household charge.

Deputy Ó Ríordáin stated: “Cllr. Horgan-Jones and I were both extremely pleased to see such a great attendance at the first Senior Citizens Forum in Marino on Friday. A lively debate took place with excellent contributions from residents in the local area.

“It was quite clear from the meeting that many residents are concerned with issues such as the household charge, waste collection, public transport and community policing, and it is up to us now as public representatives to address these issues.

“Both Jane and I are very conscious of the fact that in many instances people only really contact us when they have a specific problem and otherwise would never dream of picking up the phone and calling their local representative to discuss issues.

“These Forums will seek to change that. We are determined to keep up a continuous dialogue with local residents and to ensure that if constituents are concerned about any particular national or local matter that we are there and ready to act on their behalf.

“Jane and I are really looking forward to hosting more Senior Citizens Forums in the near future.”