Edible playgrounds, pianos in every bus and train station and 24 hour public bus services are among the promises in Fianna Fail’s Dublin manifesto.
The lead opposition party are targeting Dublin for seat gains in the local elections next Friday.
A good showing in the locals will give them a platform to launch a pitch to be the top party in the next Government.
Everybody expects a general election to be called within the next year, so these local elections are the most important in decades.
What constituency am I in for the 2019 local elections in Dublin and who are the candidates?
Fianna Fail has launched an ambitious plan for the capital to try and pull in the votes.
A proposal to introduce ‘edible playgrounds’ is one of the most eye-catching in their Dublin plan.
This would involve making playgrounds green and teaching children about growing their own food through fruit and vegetable patches in school playgrounds.
Fianna Fail would invest €500,000 by handing out grants worth €10,000 each to 494 primary schools in Dublin to help them go green in the playground.
The tinkling of ivories on free pianos has become very popular in a limited number of public transport stations, such as Connolly Station, where they have been placed.
Another Fianna Fail idea is to place the community pianos in all major bus and train stations around Dublin.
Transport is also key to the party, its Dublin spokesman, TD John Lahart, has said.
A major review of the Bus Connects fiasco is being called for, while a new initiative would see public bus services running 24 hours a day to facilitate a more modern city.
Mr Lahart said: “We need local representatives that are interested in solutions, not just highlighting problems.
“Protest politics will not address the issues our city faces.
“Our Fianna Fail team in Dublin has new ideas and the energy and commitment to realise them.”
Dublin politicians accused of using public meeting posters to get around election rules
Dublin Senator Catherine Ardagh told reporters yesterday that 80% of queries in constituency clinics and on the doorsteps are to do with housing.
She promised that Fianna Fail will prioritise this at every level in politics, from the local council to the Dail.
This would involve a promise to build 60,000 homes in Dublin by 2024, with 15,000 of these affordable homes and 15,000 social housing.
Ms Ardagh’s party are running a total of 58 candidates across Dublin.
They will have 22 going for seats in Dublin City Council, 10 for Fingal County Council, 12 for Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and 14 for South Dublin County Council.
