The announcement came with a seasonal graphic heading of:- one galloping reindeer, two tied parcels, to silver pine cones and 6 silver dangling balls, stating that Thurles town during Christmas 2022, would be given an extra 15 minutes of free parking. This initiative (try not to laugh) “is designed to promote local trade and to encourage support for town traders, during the festive season”.
Then came the real joke, (laughter allowed), “Please shop local this Christmas”.
TMD Council officials are taking local residents for complete fools.
The compliments of the season are then offered by Ms Sharon Scully, (Thurles District Administrator) on behalf of Tipperary Co. Council.
To date all parking in Thurles Car Parks had been granted 15 minutes free parking, all year round, and now for the Christmas shopping period, beginning December 1st, 2022, is to be increased by a further 15 minutes to 30 minutes; (or did Ms Scully mean 30 minutes plus the 15 minutes already in vogueestablished). Not that same would offer any further great advantage.
What Ms Scully has failed to realise is that parking in the Liberty Square town centre no longer exists except for handicapped parking spaces and loading bay areas.
So what shopping can you do in 30 minutes. Can you treat you friends to a cup of coffee; buy a lunch; try on an article of clothing, or visit a bank ATM?
You can view the announcement by some local Councillors HERE and HERE with the other more devious embarrassed Councillors having failed to publish same on their social media platforms to date, as yet.
Why are Thurles Municipal Council officials and councillors permitted to discriminate against small local traders, in favour of foreign giant supermarket chain, leaves me totally confused.
Where stands Thurles Chamber of Commerce, latter a local organization of businesses and companies in Thurles, whose intentions boast “to develop and further the interests of local companies and businesses”?
Has Thurles Chamber of Commerce now been fully taken over by local councillors, in the hope of gleaning crumps of secret info from politicians?
While I hate to say this, but councillors were informed at a recent meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District [North Tipperary – just 23 miles (37kph) from Thurles and governed by the same Tipp. Co. Council] that from Saturday December 10th, 2022, until Monday December 26th, there will be three hours of free parking, within local authority car parks in Nenagh town, available on a daily basis.
The discrimination continues, to the detriment of Thurles town, with once again, nothing for our Local Property Tax.
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