City estates left in political wilderness

YOUR reporter Jimmy Woulfe made a good attempt (Irish Examiner, September 13) to explain the bizarre situation of how the Limerick City Council estates of Delmege Park, Pineview Gardens and Cravel Park in Moyross are actually in the county council area.

We in Sinn Féin conducted a survey this summer in the three estates to determine under which council’s jurisdiction the residents wanted to be.

That survey revealed a clear wish on the part of residents to be able to vote for city councillors who would be more responsive to their needs; indeed, almost 93% want to be in city.

What is particularly worrying is that, with the way things are at the moment, almost 93% of residents are unsure of which local authority area they are in, while close to 97% couldn’t name their county councillors.

It is a scandal that residents are denied their right to a voice in local government. The situation whereby several hundred homes are owned by the city council, but are located in the county, is absurd. The present boundary means residents in those parts of Moyross which are in the county are poorly represented by their councillors and largely ignored by the county council.

This lack of commitment to the residents and their needs is all too plain to see in the lack of services. A boundary adjustment would not have major financial implications for the county council as there is little or no rates revenue from the area concerned and even refuse collection is in the hands of private firms.

The county council has confirmed that it has no objection in principle to the move. We await action by Environment Minister Dick Roche.

Sinn Féin believes that if the political will exists, this matter could be easily resolved. I have tried through letters, Dáil questions and public statements to get the minister to remove this crazy anomaly. Meanwhile, local residents suffer by effectively having no local representation. Maurice Quinlivan

7 Stenson Close

Limerick