Council staff crisis sees cuts to waste collection

A staffing crisis at City Hall has forced the Council to slash services this week – axing their bulky goods waste collection service and limiting road sweeping.

A meeting of the local authority heard that councillors were notified on Monday morning that both services were for the chop.

The note to local representatives, seen by the City Tribune, reads: “I regret to inform you that due to insufficient staff resources withing the Environment Department, the bulky and electrical goods collection service provided by Galway City Council Environment Staff will cease tomorrow.

“In addition, the sweeping of all approach roads will not be completed by the early morning environment crew until further notice.”

Councillors hit out at the dire personnel shortage. Cllr John Connolly (FF) expressed concern about the numbers leaving City Hall in recent months.

“A robust retention strategy is needed, such is the level of staff leaving. I’m troubled that the public sector is not seen as attractive as the private sector.

“Today, with January not complete, we were advised that bulky and electrical goods collection is ceasing that that there will be no further sweeping of approach roads to the city at a time when the city has lost its ‘clean to European norms’ status in the IBAL survey,” said Cllr Connolly.

Mayor Colette Connolly said axing services such as the bulky goods collection would end up costing more in the long-term.

“My concern is that the taxpayer will end up footing the bill for illegal dumbing and I would be worried what it will cost in the long run,” said Mayor Connolly.

Cllr Mike Cubbard (Ind) said he shared these concerns and said he’d been informed that up to 11 outdoor workers – who had been working on the Government’s ‘Gateway Scheme’ – had been let go in recent weeks.

Cllr Eddie Hoare (FG) suggested that exit interviews should be conducted with staff leaving their roles voluntarily to see why people were moving on, while Cllr Declan McDonnell said he believed every department in the Council was short ‘six or seven staff’.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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