Hollowing out of vital Council services in South Tipperary continues unabated – Mattie McGrath

Independent TD Mattie McGrath has called on the Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council, Joe MacGrath, to provide immediate clarification regarding the decision to transfer vital Housing Services functions to Nenagh. Deputy McGrath was speaking after he was informed that a recent review of functions within the Housing Department concluded with a decision to reorganise the delivery of a number of Housing Services as part of a process has will be completed by October 2018:

“I am very concerned that what we are witnessing, yet again, is the gradual but steady erosion of services from the south of the county.

As elected representatives we were just told that this was what happening and that the process was already in place.

As and from this week, the Housing Grants Schemes will be administered from the Housing Office, Civic Offices, Nenagh.

This includes the application and processing of the Housing Adaptation Grants for People with a Disability (HGD), Mobility Aids Grants (MAG), Housing Aid for Older People (HOP) and Local Authority Disabled Person’s Grants).

I have been warning for some time that ever since the amalgamation occurred a hollowing out of services in the south has been taking place at an alarmingly consistent rate.

There is little or no clear engagement by the management of the local authority before these things happen and that in itself undermines trust in terms of offering a rationale for the transfer of services that could bring the public along with them.

It was only a fortnight ago that the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) published its survey results of ten local authorities in which it found that Tipperary County Council scored lowest of all ten areas when people were asked to agree with the statement; does your local authority makes a positive contribution to the quality of life in the area.

It is decisions like this latest move to transfer yet more services to Nenagh that will fully justify people in their response to such a question,” concluded Deputy McGrath.

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