Mayo councillor wants extra outdoor staff to be recruited

A CASTLEBAR councillor wants to see more outdoor staff employed in the municipal district.

Members of the public are not happy about the condition of some footpaths and general street cleaning, he says.

Staff vacancy levels in the Castlebar Municipal District have been queried by Councillor Harry Barrett.

He wants to know how many outdoor staff are out and about the town on any given day on average.

The existing staff are doing a great job, he said, but there isn't enough of them.

Councillor Barrett has highlighted the impacts of works not getting done due to staff shortages.

In one instance, an 85-year-old lady tripped on protruding bricks on the bottom of Gallows Hill, suffering facial injuries and wrist injuries, he said.

Councillor Barrett, who raised the staffing issue at a district meeting, was told typically there would be four or five, but there are a number of vacancies that need to be filled, and sometimes staff can be pulled from roads.

However, Councillor Barrett felt with absences, some days it's just two or three and there wasn't enough.

He suggested there could be up to 10 vacancies due to retirements and promotions.

At least 10 staff are needed for the outdoor team in the area, he said.

The council, he was told, was working on putting a panel in place for outdoor staff.

There is also one for indoor staff and it's hoped to see progress there soon.