*Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG). Photograph: Eamon Ward.
OFFICIALS in the Shannon Municipal District have been told to “cop on” and stop acting like mavericks by one county councillor.
Shannon is following a different set of policies to every other electoral area in the county, Cllr Tony Mulcahy (FG) remarked when criticising the approach of local authority staff in the area for failing to increase the amount of bins in the town.
“We’re mavericks here in the Shannon Municipal District, we seem to operate different to the entire county,” he stated. Mulcahy recalled a request which he was denied to install a solar bin in Shannon but flagged he was walking in Killaloe where solar bins are in situ.
Speaking at the July meeting of the Shannon MD, Cllr Mulcahy said, “I’m only back here thirteen months, I don’t know what happened for the last seven or eight years but it stops today, quoting these policies when we’ve rubbish all over the place, let’s do the same as what is done around the county. Work from position of what we can do not what we can’t. We need to do the same as every other district and we’re not doing that”.
Senior executive engineer, Tom Mellett said “four or five bins” were installed in Shannon Town last year. “When we’ve looked into solar bins, I’m told by colleagues they are not functioning or successful. We don’t have overflowing bins in Shannon Town, our collection systems are working, investing €5000 into a bin when a regular bin is costing few hundred euro, we don’t see the need for it,” he added.
Solar bins have been considered but “the feedback from my colleagues in other areas is they are not successful. We have rollewd out extra bins in last year and a half. Leave no trace is the policy but it can only go so far and education can only go so far,” Mellett added.
“Are all the other Municipal Districts wasting money so,” Mulcahy questioned. “The feedback is if you put in a pizza box it gets jammed,” the senior executive engineer replied.
Both Drumgeely and Shannon Town could do with solar bins, Cllr Mulcahy stated to which Mellett advised, “We have an additional bin put in” and Cllr Mulcahy retorted, “But not one of the solar bins. We’ve less bins than five years ago. Cop on”.
Leas Cathaoirleach of the Shannon MD, Cllr Michael Begley (IND) suggested Cllr Mulcahy have “a discussion with Tom” to which the Shannon representative responded, “I’ve had numerous”.
Director of Service for Physical Development, Alan Farrell told the meeting, “I am conscious that we’ve to manage with the budget that is there. How that operates best is carried out in my view by the local team. There is always engagement if local issues needs addressing which in fairness is very strong, they take on the views of elected members. There’s points where teams have to make calls on the resources”.
Cllr James Ryan (SF) maintained, “Shannon has loads of bins”. He asked, “Why can’t places outside of Shannon get bins, it’s unfair, everyone is paying taxes and local property tax. We’ve issues with rubbish in Westbury at bus stops and people leaving their rubbish there when they get off the bus and I can’t ever get a bin installed. If we can get one in Shannon why not here. I understand the distance for collections for the crews but it is very hard to tell the public in Westbury we can’t get a bin here but we can in Shannon”.
Senior engineer Mellett advised the local authority does not do collections in Newmarket-on-Fergus or Sixmilebridge. “There’s a legacy issue in Shannon in how it was managed by Shannon Development, there wouldn’t have been a history of that service in other towns in the Municipal District. I am willing to work with ye”.
