This article is from page 15 of the 2012-01-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
KILRUSH Town Council has the ability to lead the way for local authorities around the country in their efforts to extricate themselves from contracts with private companies that have been described as “crazy” by former mayor Cllr Liam O’Looney (FF).
Cllr O’Looney, who spearheaded the local authority’s move to extri- cate itself from the provisions of a 20-year agreement with a private company for the public toilet on Martyr’s Square in the town, has said that a coalition of forces among local authorities should be established.
“The Municipal Authorities Association of Ireland has a role to play in this,” said Cllr O’Looney, “because since this council made the decision to give a 12-month notice about the public toilet in Kilrush, a number of councillors from other local authori- ties have been on to me. They want to do the same.
“Kilrush Town Council has shown the way and now through coordinating things at Municipal Authorities Association of Ireland level, if other councils did the same, these company who charged outlandish prices for the provision of services will have to deal with the council,” he added.
Earlier this month, Kilrush Town Council issued formal notice that it is to extricate itself from a 20-year agreement for the public toilet that was put in place in the town centre, by terminating the contract for the facility with JCDecaux Street Furniture Limited.
The public toilet will still be in operation in 2012 at a rental cost of € 35,910, but to terminate the contract later in the year the local authority must pay € 60,382 to Street Furniture Limited.
At the September meeting of Kilrush Town Council it was revealed that the town authorities were tied to a 20-year contract for provision of the toilet that was signed in 1999 and doesn’t run out until 2019.
“I must commend the management on what they’ve done,” Cllr Paul Moroney (Ind) told last Thursday’s Kilrush Town Council meeting. “Other councils were told in no uncertain terms that there was no opt out clause, but that’s not the case. This council has shown that it can be done,” he added.