This article is from page 19 of the 2012-02-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
CLARE County Council have refused to provide year-round rubbish bins on the Lahinch Promenade, despite making more than € 220,000 each year in parking charges and fines in the area.
At present, the local authority remove the litter bins from the beach after the busy summer season, leaving locals to fend for themselves during the winter months.
According to local Cllr Bill Slattery (FG), this has led to a breakdown in the usual beach bylaws at Lahinch, with people refusing to clean up after their dogs because there are no bins available.
The motion was put forward jointly by Cllr Tony Mulqueen (FG) and Cllr Joe Arkins (FG.
“My concern is that in Lahinch there are parking charges for 365 days of the year and a total income of € 220,000 for this council. A lot of people visit Lahinch over the winter months – there are five surfing schools in operation there – and yet we seem to think that people only visit over the summer months.
“This car park is generating a huge amount of money for the council. I can’t imagine why the council can not continue to service the prom all year round.”
Responding to the motion, Director of Service, Nora Kaye, said that she would not be proposing a year-round bin service at Lahinch.
“Litter bins are provided at Lahinch generally from Easter to October. These bins are serviced by the Ennistymon area staff.
“Presently one employee is assigned to servicing these bins, in addition to other duties in the area. If a litter bin service was provided during the winter months, it would incur additional expenditure on a seven-day-week basis,” she said.
“Litter bins are not provided during the winter season as the number of visitors to Lahinch beach is considerably reduced during this time. The funding for the provision and servicing of litter management facilities at beaches including Lahinch beach is provided under street cleaning in Clare County Council’s revenue budget and is fixed for 2012.
“Therefore, any increase in expenditure in winter will result in a decrease in the summer service. This expenditure cannot be justified in the current economic climate and with a staffing moratorium in place.”