COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, July 13, 2009

QUESTION NO. 13

QUESTION: Councillor E. Walsh 2009

To ask the Manager what progress if any has been made with regard to combatting  the scourge of graffiti in the Tallaght Central area and whether a code of voluntary practice would be considered by all concerned banning the sale of materials to under 18 year olds that facilitate this destructive behaviour and that shopowners of such materials be invited to make submissions in this regard in this Local Authority area into how best this nuisance might be averted?

REPLY:

The Council currently provides a wide ranging response to graffiti in the County with information about graffiti prevention and awareness forming part of the Council's Environmental Awareness role with both community groups and schools and, as part of the Litter Management Plan 2008-2011, ongoing campaigns highlight the role everyone plays in keeping the county clean inclusing an anti-graffiti message.  The Environmental Awareness team have also distributed Anti-Graffiti grants in Tallaght Central and throughout the County.

In addition, the Council’s Graffiti programme incorporates the existing resources provided by the Council's Graffiti Removal Crew and Anti-Litter Wardens, together with streamlined administrative structures in dealing with reported graffiti to provide a prompt response to removing graffiti where required.  The Council’s Environmental Awareness team and RAPID co-ordinators also provide support for community applications under Pobal’s Community Graffiti Reduction Programme which aims to support an immediate reduction in the extent and impact of graffiti within the communities who participate in the programme and to develop local mechanisms within these communities to support the long-term reduction of incidences of graffiti.   

Graffiti reporting and removal statistics are also provided to Area Committees as part of the ongoing reporting on the Litter Management Plan and these statistics will provide a gauge for the level of graffiti activity being reported to tthe Council on an ongoing basis.

These various aspects provide a broad approach to tackling graffiti but it should be noted that the eradication of this problem will require the long-term application of these and similar projects to ultimately create a cultural change.

The Architects Department also review the types of surfaces used and explore possibilities in relation to surfaces which make it more difficult for perprators to vandlise property with graffiti.  The Environmental Awareness Officer will look at the possibility of engaging, through the Chamber of Commerce, on the type of approach which is suggested.