'For every TD in the Dail, I believe housing has to be the priority'

Meath East Candidate Focus: Maria White (Sinn Fein)

Education, transport, housing and community facilities are the top priority issues for Sinn Fein Cllr Maria White should she be elected as a TD for the Meath East area.

White who was elected to Meath County Council in Laytown/Bettystown area in the local elections is principal of Scoil Olibheir Naofa in Laytown.

A long time member of Sinn Fein, the Mornington based councillor who previously supported other candidate's election campaigns felt this year was her year to put herself forward for the job.

“For me Sinn Fein were the party that supported and represented working people and the issues that I felt strongly about," explains White.

“I have always had an interest in politics but I just didn't have confidence in myself to put myself out there and make myself vulnerable in that way until this year but I have always been involved in my community," she added.

“I think I have submitted the highest number of motions and questions since being elected at full council and municipal district meetings. I'm now very comfortable with the role of holding the council to account and representing my community as strongly as I can."

White says she always supported Sinn Fein and felt the party represented her values.

“I love the Irish language, I love our culture, our history is very important to me and then on social justice issues, I'd have a very strong moral compass coming from a working class background, I would have experienced and I would have seen a lot growing up."

White who has a Degree in Social Science, Sociology and Social Policy and previously worked for Focus Ireland earlier this month, called for a task force on homelessness to be established in Co Meath as she had experienced being homeless as a child herself.

“While it was for a very brief time I will never forget sitting at the side of the road with our belongings around us and would not wish this on any child or individual," she said.

Born in the North Inner City in Dublin in the late 1970s when poverty and over crowding were prevalent, Maria and her family fell on hard times.

“In my early years, life was pretty stable because we lived in my nanny's house," said White.

“When she got married we moved from flat to flat and it was I suppose the tenement style building that would have been there in the 80s,"added the general election candidate.

“There were often people in the doorways with nowhere to go.

“My sister was born at that time and when my mother had to back into hospital with complications from the birth and it was during that time that were evicted because we had been living is a squat.

“There were lots of families living in squats at that time in Dublin because it was very hard to come by accommodation.

“Over 40 years on from that, people are in the same situation and something needs to change.

“Leading on from that I believe that for every TD in the Dail, housing has to be the priority and I believe Sinn Fein has the strongest policy in relation to housing."

Garda resources is another a key priority for White as she explains:

“We currently have the lowest number of Gardai per head of population in the country," said the Sinn Fein Cllr.

“We were promised a Garda station two years ago (in Laytown) and there has been no delivery on this. It is not just the building of a Garda station but the whole structure," she added.

“Community police need to be based in the community not in another location and coming out for an hour or two, they need to be developing relationships.

“Community police need to steer people away from path of criminality and communities need to feel safe and have trust restored and that there concerns are listened to."

Considering the population growth in recent years and the rise in commuters public transport in the area needs to be reliable , accessible and affordable according to the Mornington resident who said:

“There needs to be joined up thinking in relation to public transport for this commuter belt.

“Connectivity for the coast needs to be considered, we need to have much of a local link approach for smaller villages like Laytown, Bettystowm and Julianstown.

“Sinn Fein supports the delivery of Navan Rail Line and I'd also be pushing for a train station in Bettystown and free park and ride facilities at the train stations."

As a school principal, education is something that White wants to play a key role in nationally and locally.

“There's a push for Deis Plus status amongst principals of the most deprived schools in the country and I fully support this," said the Laytown/Bettystown cllr.

“This is a higher level of support for those schools who are supporting children in communities where there is intergenerational trauma and poverty," she added.

“I’m also on the working group for Deis with the IPPN (Irish Primary Principals’ Network). Funding for disability services, improvement in school transport and equality in terms for funding for schools.

“I also really think we are ideally located to explore opening a third level education facility along the coast.

A community centre is another amenity greatly needed here as is a focus on creating industry in this area so that at some stage the level of commuters leaving the area everyday could reduce."

Tackling spiraling childcare costs in another priority for Maria and her party.

“When I returned to work after having my children, I was paying a second mortgage, often times it wasn't worth my while working but I did because I wanted to have career. Our policy for childcare is ten euros per day per child but unlike other parties this extends out to childminders.”

On Background...Maria White

Sinn Fein Cllr Maria White was elected to Meath County Council in the Laytown/Bettystown area in the local elections in June of this year.

White is the principal of Scoil Olibheir Naofa in Laytown and is founder of the local gaelscoil, a member of the East Coast Family Resource Centre, Mornington Tidy Towns, LMETB and is on the Board of Youthreach, Colaiste na hhInse and DIFE. She is running alongside party colleague Darren O'Rourke.

Since her election to the council, White has raised issues on Garda resources, transport, parking, the need for a fire service in the area and road safety issues to name a few.

The Sinn Fein Cllr has previously worked for Focus Ireland and earlier this month called for a task force on homelessness to be established in Co Meath.

In the late 2000s she spent two years working as a teacher in disadvantaged communities in Western Australia.