Councillors to battle decision to privatise waste service

LOCAL councillors are on a direct collision course with the new City Manager, Brendan McGrath, over his ‘overnight’ proposals to privatise the Council’s refuse collection service, following a heated meeting of the City Council last night.

Councillors are now preparing to table what is known as a Section 140 Notice, under the Local Government Act, aimed at challenging the decision of the City Manager to axe the Council’s refuse collection service.

There was unanimous opposition last night to the proposal of the City Manager to drop the service – councillors expressed ‘anger and disappointment’ at the ‘one working day’s notice’ they were given of Mr. McGrath’s plan.

Earlier in the meeting, the City Manager, said that he could not comply with the first part of a motion – proposed by Cllr. Colette Connolly – to defer the move to privatise the City Council’s refuse collection service.

After that, Cllr. Connolly said that she would be submitting a Section 140 notice (requiring seven days notice and the signature of three councillors), challenging the power of the City Manager to over-rule the wishes of the elected representatives on the issue.

“I want to know why the City Manager cannot defer the decision. Why can’t he consult with the elected members and all the other interested parties on this issue,” said Cllr. Connolly.

However the City Manager remained insistent that he would be pressing ahead with the seeking of expressions of interest for the privatising of the household waste collection service to existing Council customers within the city area.

Mr. McGrath said that the decision would not result in any staff lay-offs with the employees of the refuse collection service redeployed to other jobs in the City Council.

He said that he wanted a seamless transition for existing customers with a level of waiver protection staying in place until the end of 2014.

Cllr. Declan McDonnell wanted to know what would happen after the transition period from October next to the end of the year and also what would be the fate of the people who had waivers after December, 2014.

Cllr. Ollie Crowe described the proposal as a ‘very dark day’ for the City Council. “It is completely unacceptable for councillors to receive notice of this last Friday evening and be asked to consider it tonight. The elected members are being treated with contempt,” he said.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.