Duffy keen to see more housing delivery in Ballina
Cllr Mark Duffy said the delivery of housing will be one of his primary focuses if re-elected to Mayo Co Council.
Independent Cllr Mark Duffy has said the acceleration of the delivery of housing in the Ballina Municipal District is going to be one of his top priorities if he is reelected to Mayo County Council on June 7.
Cllr Duffy was one of the stories of the 2019 election when he was elected following the first count. The then 27-year-old hoovered up the second-highest number of first preference votes in the Ballina area, a rare feat for a first-time young candidate.
After five years on Mayo County Council, he said he has found the experience rewarding.
“It has been such an honour to represent the Ballina MD. It is a very broad role, I have chaired the Strategic Policy Committee for Economic Development, Enterprise Support, Planning and Marine, been a voluntary director on many boards such as the Ballina Arts Centre. I have also been volunteering in the community. Every week, I can see so many great people and organisations in our community who are the bedrock of this area and county."
Cllr Duffy said the issues coming up on the doorsteps includes road safety in estates and neighbourhoods in Ballina.
“I would love to see every estate have speed ramps on dangerous stretches, line painting brought up to date and junctions clearly demarcated. This would really help to improve the experiences for the people living our areas.” However, the number one concern he has is for housing, particularly with regard to the ongoing challenges those impacted by pyrite are facing.
“From a housing point of view, we need to totally accelerate the delivery of social and affordable housing in our area. We need to support pyrite-affected homeowners with adequate resources so they can get through that difficult quickly and effectively.”
Cllr Duffy says he also has several community projects he would intend to push for should he be reelected.
“I would like for us to deliver our sensory park as soon as possible and to develop a skateboard park for the young people in Ballina. “Overall, we need to improve our sporting infrastructure with the delivery of full-sized pitches and equipment for all our sporting organisations and clubs.
“We have buildings of great heritage, significance and value such as the Walsh Street Garda Barracks. We need to move quickly on these projects for the good of the town.”
Cllr Duffy said he is a full-time, non-party councillor who is focused on delivering for the people of the Ballina MD.
“When I got elected, I quit my day job to dedicate myself fully to my role as a county councillor. I am full-time and dedicated and focused on getting things done and working for the people.
“I want to unite people in the town to work on getting important projects done, to make Ballina a great place to live, work and raise a family in and not to be getting caught up in party politics.”
