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Councilors at their recent annual budget meeting called on council management to do all it can to keep outdoor staff levels as they are.



After hearing county manager Peter Carey say that 100 jobs have not been replaced in the council over the past few years, cllr John Joe Fennelly said: “We can’t let our outdoor staff numbers be depleted anymore. They are the people who we depend on in rural areas.”



Cllr Paddy Bracken said: “I hope we maintain our outdoor staff. They are critical.”



“I, too, would be concerned about the outdoor staff numbers,” said cllr Michael Lalor. “They are reducing all the time.”



Cllr Kathleen O’Brien said: “I hope we do not lose any more outdoor staff. We need to keep them out there.”



Cllr Willie Aird said: “Outdoor staff are very important to any work carried out around the county.” Cllr John King said: “CE schemes need to be looked at to support the work of our outdoor staff when it comes to street cleaning.”
(Source: Leinster Express)

Leitrim

A number of councilors at last Monday’s Council meeting refused to accept assurances from the ESB that they did not open the gates at Lough Allen during the serious flooding of November 2009.

Hydro Manager with ESB Energy International, Senan Colleran, made a special presentation to the Council’s monthly meeting. Addressing the Chamber he said that not only had ESB records which showed they did not open the gates at Lough Allen until after the flooding had receded, gauges owned and monitored by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Office of Public Works (OPW) also proved that the ESB had not released water from the Lough but had, instead, held back water, acting as a store for millions of additional litres of water following the torrential rain which started in November 2009.

Mr Colleran said that ESB had no financial interest in controlling water levels.

“I don’t know where the surge (experienced in Leitrim Village in November 2009) came from, all I can tell you is it did not come from Lough Allen,” he maintained.
(Source: Leitrim Observer)

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Limerick

Ten members of the same family are to seek legal advice after a leading bookmaking chain refused to honor what they insist were valid bets.

Ann O’Brien from Ballynanty along with nine members of her extended family each placed €2 bets at the Ladbrokes shop in Thomondgate last Friday week on the outcome of that night’s Euromillions draw.

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Nster.com