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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Dan Grennan

DublinTown renewal campaign and councillor clash over 'misinformation' claim

Councillor Mannix Flynn has denied claims by the DublinTown renewal that he has spread "misinformation" to businesses which will decide the fate of the scheme.

The ballots for the plebiscite of 3,000 businesses have been sent out and the votes are set to be counted on April 20.

DublinTown operates the Business Improvement District scheme as part of which they collect levies from the businesses to improve public areas and marketing.

Read more: Truckers' protest slammed as 'pointless' and 'misguided'

A group called 'Bid Farewell To Bid' have sent out flyers to businesses urging them to vote against the renewal of the scheme as well as placing ads in newspapers.

The 'Bid Farewell to Bid' is headed up by Councillor Mannix Flynn and all the flyers and advertisements feature his name.

In an email to all their members, DublinTown accused an unnamed politician of misinforming businesses.

The flyers argued that DublinTown had failed to increase footfall and keep the city centre clean of litter, it is understood.

CEO Richard Guiney told Dublin Live that he was referring to Councillor Mannix Flynn's flyers which he claimed were "taking numbers out of context".

He said Cllr Flynn "is basically saying we failed to keep the district clean and he is referring to the IBAL (Irish Business Against Litter) report which is basically referring to the residential areas in the North East inner city - not the district we look after which IBAL has said was clean and was grade A.

"He put it in a flyer that went out to everyone."

He added: "He has compared St Patrick's Day footfall back in 2017 before the pandemic and basically saying we are failing on footfall. It is all taking numbers out of context.

Cllr Flynn insisted that all the figures he provided were accurate.

He said: "Mr Guiney is grasping at straws here.

"The situation is that the figures do not stack up. The figures have been in the public domain for quite some time.

He added: "I am not in the business of misinformation. I am not in the business of disinformation. I am in the business of transparency and truth."

Both sides of the campaign believe they will win when the votes are counted later this month.

Mr Guiney argued the scheme should be renewed because of their record in responding to the pandemic with outdoor dining and due to the challenges posed to the city by climate change.

He said: "We are the people who started the conversation back in April/May 2020 about how we are going to have to use outdoor space in terms of bringing customers back into the city.

"Operationally, we are removing 20,000 square metres of graffiti from property. We are removing 120 tonnes of rubbish from the streets and we are working very closely with the guards in terms of the safety aspects and with the Department of Justice in terms of the need for garda resources in the city."

He added: "The idea that we have achieved nothing is a little bit facile.

"The city is subject to challenges post pandemic and there will be more as we face into climate change. Really what businesses need is strong support rather than soundbites and misinformation."

However, the DublinTown boss conceded that footfall was down to 80% to 85% of the levels seen in 2017 which he put down to office workers not returning to the city since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Read more: Local Dublin jeweller 'forced to close shop by new cycle lane'

Read more: Inner city road smashed up by high-speed two-car crash

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