Unhappy about street cleaning

Sinn Féin Councillor Tommy O’Connor has raised a complaint with the council’s head of Environmental Services over the poor service delivered in the Central DEA.

Cllr O’Connor, who sits on the Council’s Environmental Services Committee, claimed that there were streets within the Central DEA which had not been swept this year.

Cllr O’Connor said: “I have raised this matter with the head of the Environmental Services department and have requested a copy of the ‘Street Cleaning Schedule’ in order to assess the work already completed, against the work that should have been done.”

The Councillor claimed that he had requested the Cleaning Schedule on a number of occasions and though he had been promised immediate delivery on each occasion, he had yet to receive a copy.

He said: “This is not acceptable. All residents in this borough are entitled to the same level of services from the cleansing section and Sinn Féin are determined to ensure that they get it.”

Mr O’Connor asserted that the apparent reluctance to make the schedule available gave rise to concerns about the ability of this department to manage its workforce and he revealed that he had met with Cllr McGibbon, Chair of the Environmental Services Committee, to discuss the issue.

He added: “If there are genuine difficulties within the department these should be brought to the attention of the Environmental Committee and through them to Council. I will be lodging a formal complaint if the department continues to withhold that information.”