West Cork needs a civic voice

On my recent visit to my hometown of Clonakilty I was so delighted to find a truly delightful Irish country town; the colourful facades; the clean streets; the pedestrian friendly squares; the multiplicity of eating places have made it into a vibrant West Cork town.

In spite of two devastating floods the people of the town, the Tidy Towns group, in particular, have pulled up their sleeves and with the encouragement of the town council and its councillors raised the morale of the populace by restoring it to a vibrant active community. Notwithstanding all the economic gloom, Clonakilty exudes a sense of hope.

On the other hand, I was truly shocked and horrified to hear that the Town council and its elected councillors are about to be abolished. This is a seriously bad decision, a backward step for local democracy.