Councillor wants urbans areas a priority for hedge cutting

COUNCILLOR Tomas Grealish is calling on Galway County Council to prioritise urban areas in the next round of hedge cutting.

The Cathaoirleach of the Athenry/Oranmore MD made the request during last week’s MD meeting. He believes it is paramount that works are carried out in areas which see more road use.

“There are so many people passing these urban areas going to school, unlike rural roads. I think this is worth talking about, making sure these busier roads are taken care of first,” remarked Cllr Grealish.

Senior Roads Engineer Sean Whelan explained the council is already under pressure to carry out hedge cutting. He asked councillors to make him aware of any specific areas that need to be looked at as a priority.

The council's most recent annual budget allocated €1million for the recruitment of outdoor workers, engineers, technicians and community officers to deliver better services across the five districts.

It also set aside €200,000 to improve hedge cutting works across the county after councillors raised concerns that not enough was being done.

Cllr Cillian Keane sought information on how the budget was allocated. He is concerned that their district staff are being put under huge pressure to carry out maintenance work, despite the extra funding.

Director of Services Liam Hanrahan said the figures would be made available for the MDC's budget meeting next month.