Use rates hike cash to fund Mid Ulster street cleansing

The call was made by Councillor Trevor Wilson during a discussion of the council’s street cleansing programme at a meeting of the development committee.

The council’s decision to increase district rates by 3.9 per cent means it has struck one of the highest percentage increase for rates in Northern Ireland.

Members of the committee were told the council is exploring the possibility of undertaking a deep cleansing programme within its five major towns.

Officers explained the public realm in Coalsiland is currently the responsibility of the existing contractor and Maghera, which has not yet had a public realm scheme delivered, would not withstand this type of deep cleansing.

As a result, the economic development team has prepared a procurement specification to deep cleanse the public realm paved areas in Dungannon, Cookstown and Magherafelt.

With a budget of £15,000 already agreed and diverted from the underspend in the council’s events budget for the year, quotations will now be sought for the deep cleansing of areas within the large towns of Cookstown, Dungannon and Magherafelt.

During the course of the discussion, Councillor Trevor Wilson noted some of the areas that could be cleaned in Cookstown actually belong to DfI Roads and asked if this would provide the council with an opportunity to take a multi-agency approach to the job. “Could Council put together a piece of work in conjunction with road service perhaps to try and tidy up various areas with a multi-agency approach?” he said.