‘Tell defaulters they’re risking services’

Cork county councillors have requested county manager Martin Riordan to write to all household charge defaulters advising them they are in danger of jeopardising local authority services if they don’t pay.

The call was made by the Fine Gael leader on the council, Michael Hegarty, who claimed he had been reliably informed that Environment Minister Phil Hogan will not follow through with a threat to cut €3.9m in grant aid to the council if more people pay.

Some 47% of householders in the county are still holding out on paying.