Latest news with #AudreyBuckley
Irish Independent
06-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Cork Councillors say SUSI grant process ‘is complicated and inefficient'
The funding body provides grants for students studying for PLC, undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Ireland as well as the UK and the EU. Almost 70,000 applications have been received for the 2025/26 academic year. However, Cork County Councillors have called the grant application process cumbersome, inefficient and unnecessarily complicated. At a recent meeting of Cork County Council, Cllr Audrey Buckley put forward a motion calling on the Education Minister to review the application process. The Carrigaline Councillor said it should be simplified, particularly the income verification part. Integrating that with the Revenue Online Service would help, she said. 'It's not working, it's not fit for purpose, it's very complex, it's ineffective. When you fill out the SUSI grant, I'd say probably 80% of the time it shoots back to you because you could be missing something very simple that you could have found on the Revenue Online system,' Cllr Buckley said. Cllr Sinead Sheppard said a number of people came to her clinic last year seeking help with the application. 'We're people that fill out applications and fill out forms all day long. And even it took me a while to try and get my head around that grant to help people in the process of filling them out. It's so difficult, it's like they don't want people to continue filling it out.' 'It's the most cumbersome, leadránach and drawn-out application that you can possibly have, they nearly ask what you had for dinner yesterday. And then the difficulty about it is when you get to the other end and you pass it, you must turn around and then do it next year and the year after again,' said Cllr Finbarr Harrington. Cllr Sheila O'Callaghan said she can't see why the application process can't be linked with the information held by the Revenue Commissioners: 'Just to simplify it, the facts and the figures are there, and it would streamline the whole process for people and take the stress out of it.' Several Councillors also called for the grant's income assessment to be made on the basis of net rather than gross income. On the foot of Cllr Buckley's motion, Cork County Council agreed to write to the Education Minister to request an urgent review of the application process. SUSI told the Irish Independent that it "conducts ongoing customer satisfaction surveys to help us better understand our applicants' needs. Since opening for applications for academic year 2025/26, the application form has received an applicant satisfaction rating of over 90%." Around 70% of applicants don't need to provide supporting documentation, thanks to data sharing agreements with the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Social Protection and the CAO, SUSI said. The grant awarding authority pointed out that its support desk is available by phone, email and social media to help applicants through the process. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Irish Examiner
25-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
City visitors getting blame for littering Cork Harbour beaches
The sheer volume of litter piling up around some of Cork Harbour's most beloved beaches is beginning to overwhelm council staff. It has even been suggested that the Cork City Council should help Cork County Council with the clean-up costs around the likes of Crosshaven as claims grow that people from the city are mainly to blame. Myrteville, Fountainstown, Rocky Bay, Churchtown Bay/The Men's Pool, and Luc beaches have been overrun with littering during the recent fine weather. The Carrigaline Municipal District Council which oversees them is short five outdoor staff and the financial resources to continue responding to the increasing impacts of litter louts who won't take their rubbish home. Crosshaven-based Fianna Fáil councillor Audrey Buckley, a tidy towns volunteer, said they and the hard-working but limited council staff can't cope any more with the levels of littering. 'We're facilitating people from the city coming down here. Maybe we should ask the city (council) for money,' she said. Volunteers and council workers are pinned to their collar cleaning up. It's getting worse. The county council is to provide bigger refuse bins for the summer season. The council intends to introduce bylaws to make casual traders responsible for the waste generated in their outlets which is dumped nearby. Fine Gael councillor Jack White said that with the exception of Youghal, the Crosshaven area gets more visitors from the city than anywhere else in the county. 'It is getting worse and all the appeals for people to take home rubbish are not working. We're taking the brunt for an area where visitors come from way beyond.,' he said. 'It's ridiculous and unfair on local residents and tidy towns,' added Independent councillor Ben Dalton-O'Sullivan. Senior council officials said they will 'look at how they can improve the situation in the long-term' but added that it is a complex issue. There is a need to 'push personal responsibility more', they said. They admitted that dog fouling is also getting worse in these areas. Litter wardens needed at weekends Ms Buckley said litter wardens need to be in the areas at weekends and start handing out more fines. Meanwhile, the council has been asked to earmark land for more amenities in Carrigaline to address deficits in such services for its ever-growing population. Fine Gael councillor Una McCarthy said a multi-use games area is badly needed in the town and in particular a pitch and putt course. She said there was one in Carrigaline in the 1980s which closed and reinstating it is important as so many young people are using similar facilities in other areas, such as Crosshaven. Ms Buckley said 'there is pitch and putt fever' in Crosshaven and it's 'great to see the kids using it' because they pay just €50 a year and it keeps them away from looking at computer and mobile phone screens all day. Read More Crosshaven post office to close at end of May due to postmaster shortage
