Fears that fall in outdoor council staff may lead to rise in Cobh's litter

Cobh welcomed 115,000 cruise passengers last year and has more than 100 visits scheduled in the coming months too. File picture: Denis Minihane

Retirements and transfers could see the country's premier cruise liner port left without outdoor staff, prompting fears that Cobh could become litter strewn or see its public toilets closed.

Two workers have been transferred to the city and two others are due to retire this year, with the local Tidy Towns group often stepping in to carry out basic duties such as litter pick-ups.

Councillors have lashed out at the potential impact this could have on the town, which welcomed 115,000 cruise passengers last year and has more than 100 visits scheduled in the coming months too.

Representatives also say the region brings in the highest per capita rates each year of any of the eight municipal districts in the county from the ever-growing industrial heartlands of Carrigtwohill and Little Island.

Labour councillor, Cathal Rasmussen, said it is completely unacceptable that a town of Cobh's size and international tourism importance could be left in the lurch, especially as the local authority is trying to get more tourists to visit the town and the nearby visitor centre at Spike Island.

Mr Rasmussen said the local Tidy Towns organisation is "screaming at us” about the implications of having less council staff on the ground, especially as they believe, with some justification, that they are just a stone’s throw away from winning the national Tidy Towns award.

Fine Gael councillor, Sinead Sheppard, said that the numbers coming off cruise ships daily during the peak season are in their thousands and the town cannot afford to slip its standards. “We need to keep our streets and roads clean,” she said.

She also suggested it may not be cost-effective to keep the public toilets open in the town for much longer due to vandalism. Ms Sheppard claimed the public toilets, adjacent to the town’s popular promenade, had been vandalised around a dozen times last year and had cost the council a fortune to repair.

She suggested if the vandal attacks continue the council may have to close them.

Municipal chairman Fine Gael councillor, Anthony Barry, pointed out the main rates revenue hubs of Carrigtwohill and Little Island are in their municipal district and stated Cobh has a vital role to play in generating tourism revenue.

Councillors reacted angrily to news that the official in charge of outdoor staffing was not prepared to engage with them at present on their concerns. The official said it would not be appropriate at this time to address them on HR matters while engagement is ongoing with staff.

Mr Rassmussen, backed by other councillors, said this was not good enough and they decided to write back to the official looking for a face-to-face meeting.