‘Deeply frustrated’ councillor vents anger

A councillor who says he is "deeply frustrated and angry" at the lack of action or response from officials to representations made on behalf of constituents, has posted a notice on his window apologising for the failure.

Independent councillor, Noel Collins, who is chair of the East Cork Municipal District Council, has also included the telephone numbers of the Youghal and Midleton district offices, along with that of the Roads department in Mallow. He placed a similar notice in a local newspaper. The veteran Midleton-based councillor told September’s Municipal District Council that many representations to county council engineers and officials had gone “unanswered” since last July and that constituents “feel they are being ignored”.

Cllr Collins said he would have resigned as chairman in protest but had “already forfeited my allowance to a family in financial difficulty with their mortgage”.

However, “in the interests of social justice, I cannot preside over the present system unless improvements are forthcoming,” he warned.

The councillor described the new Municipal District system as “a waste of time” adding it had “scant funding to improve council services, while people are taxed to the hilt”. Cllr Collins referred to fruitless appeals by residents, and representations by himself, in Midleton to have a road repaired to facilitate school travel and students who use wheelchairs.

Director of services, Maurice Manning said the council was still operating on a roads budget and programme adopted prior to the abolition of town councils — but next year would have a different foundation.