Latest news with #MáirínMcGrath
Irish Independent
10-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Tipperary clothes banks to be removed and brought to civic amenity sites amid illegal dumping woes
At the June meeting of Tipperary County Council (TCC), councillors were informed that bring banks for old or unwanted clothing were set to be removed from locations across the county, with used textiles instead to be taken in at civic amenity sites across Tipperary. A number of councillors raised the matter at the meeting, with councillors Fiona Bonfield, Máirín McGrath and David Dunne all saying that something needs to be done about the bring banks, which are attracting illegal dumping and rubbish. Speaking at the meeting, Sinn Féin councillor David Dunne said that the clothing banks 'have to go'. "I know we had plans to put them into bring centres or recycling centres, but they need to be taken out, they just have to go now at this stage,' Cllr Dunne said. "They're a magnet for rubbish, and there's videos online and you can see recycling banks and there's just rubbish strewn all over the place, so have we cameras at those recycling bins?' the Carrick-on-Suir councillor asked. A member of Tipperary County Council's environment section told councillors that a decision to remove the used clothing bins had been taken, relocating them to the five civic amenity sites across the county. "We are now going to remove the bins, relocating to the five civic amenity sites, and a tender process has to happen before that. "Tender documents are all drafted and ready to go, and we're just waiting for regional sign-off on the documents because this will have ramifications across the sector,' councillors were informed. The five civic amenity sites in Tipperary are located in Cashel, Donohill, Roscrea, Nenagh and Clonmel. Tipperary County Council 'can't sustain' the cost of continuing to operate the bring banks, councillors were also told, with the matter 'being a budgetry issue' which will come up at the end of the year as TCC plans its finances for the year ahead. Cahir councillor Máirín McGrath said that the clothes bins were something she always had an issue with, but said that irregular collection of the items was a real problem. "I have always had issues with clothes bins and the irregular collection of items there, and around it, so in one sense I welcome it, but I do have a little bit of concern, say for the Cahir LEA for instance, there isn't a civic amenity centre in the Cahir area, which is something that I've long asked for, so that's one issue, it's the ability foe people to get to civic amenity centres,' the Cahir councillor outlined. "Secondly, it's the instances of illegal dumping that might take place as a result of that [removal of the clothes bins], or the rogue operators that were in place before the council got into this industry, where there was clothes bins popped here there and everywhere, meant to be authorised but weren't, and they caused issues as well, so I'm just concerned with the unintended consequences that this will bring,' the Cahir councillor added. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
Irish Independent
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Tipperary asylum-seeker centre plans scrapped
Independent Tipperary Cllr Máirín McGrath said that in following up on an original statement a few weeks ago, she could confirm that the Department of Integration is no longer considering Abbey House on Abbey Street in Cahir for use as an IPAS centre following an offer by its new owners. 'Tipperary County Council had rejected the Section 5 exemption for this building a number of weeks ago so the contract couldn't go ahead without proper planning approval,' said Cllr McGrath. 'No appeal to this rejection was made by the owners to An Bord Pleanála. The only route this property can change use now is to apply for full planning permission.' Last week, the Government published a list of accommodation centres returning to their original or alternative use. Among them is Dundrum House Hotel in west Tipperary, which has been the subject of numerous protests and controversies surrounding proposals to offer refuge for international protection applicants. The Government has announced that in respect of Dundrum House, 31 residents will be relocated by June 1 this year. 'The need for accommodation for people fleeing the war in Ukraine is decreasing across the country,' announced the Department of Justice. 'This means that some Ukraine accommodation centres will be closing, and some people will be asked to move to new accommodation. 'This process was paused during March to allow for greater planning and notice periods for residents. Relocations of residents from some Ukraine properties are now being planned to begin in June and continue throughout the summer period. 'State accommodation contracts may also be ending where compliance issues arise, or where the owner chooses to end their contract. 'Because the Department must ensure value for money and an effective system overall, this means some people will be moved to other locations, if they still require State-contracted accommodation. 'Properties can return to private use, tourism or student use, and a small proportion may be used for International Protection accommodation.' ADVERTISEMENT Learn more The Department will be sending updates, through the accommodation providers, to the residents who will be affected, to let them know that the contract is ending with that provider. 'We will inform them that if they wish to continue to receive State-funded accommodation, it will be provided in another location. We will be giving them the final contracted date of their accommodation, at least 30 days in advance. In some cases, where possible, notice periods of greater than two months are being provided. 'We will also inform people of their options to source their own accommodation if they wish to stay in the area, either through the pledge and Offer a Home schemes, subject to availability, or privately using supports available to them such as rent supplement. 'All residents who request continued State accommodation will be moved. The Department has to make best use of existing accommodation contracts, and so new locations may not be in the same area,' added the Justice spokesperson. This announcement comes after a €16-€20m contract to house 277 international protection applicants at the hotel was awarded to a Spanish company last month. The move has been widely-criticised and the issue has been referred to the Public Accounts Committee for scrutiny.
