Traffic warden service to be privatised

LIMERICK City Council yesterday confirmed it is in talks to privatise its traffic warden service.

The council is meeting with four companies who have expressed an interest in taking on the work.

Rory McDermott of Limerick City Council said it is hoped to make the switch in January.

“There is an embargo on local government recruitment, so we have gone to tender on outsourcing that work. We have gone through that process and four companies have been identified,” he said.

“The next stage is to issue a tender document to the four and we are expecting those to go out in September, with the contract to be awarded in November and mobilisation and commissioning in January.”

Limerick City Council currently employs four traffic wardens. Five years ago 10 traffic wardens were on the payroll.

Mr McDermott said: “We desperately need traffic wardens, but the only resource we have to secure them is through this process, because of the embargo on staff recruitment.”

The new contract will be awarded on a fixed-price basis, which means the private operator will not be paid according to the number of tickets issued.