Not enough Laois council road workers say councillors
Laois council staff who leave are not being replaced quick enough, councillors have complained.
Road workers are in short supply in one area in particular, a local councillor has complained.
Cllr Ben Brennan represents the Graiguecullen Portarlington Municipal District.
He is also unhappy that people living in the immediate area are not being chosen for the jobs.
He raised concerns to the December meeting of Laois County Council.
"Are we doing anything about taking on more staff? It seems the eastern area is falling behind. I feel we need more outdoor staff. It takes nearly a year to replace a man, and one came from the far side of the county. We should give the local area a chance. A man has come from Ballyfin," he said.
Cllr Paddy Bracken from the Mountmellick Borris-in-Ossory Municipal District interjected.
"And what's wrong with that?" he said.
"We are entitled to keep staff in our own area in employment. They are fantastic staff but we need more, and more outddor staff in our own area. A person who retires should be replaced, not from the far end of the county," Cllr Brennan replied.
Cllr Bracken defended the workers.
"My understanding is a panel is formed, people are replaced by the order they arrive. In Mountmellick not all our staff are from Mountmellick. There was never as much work done, it's phenomenal. We have to compliment staff for what they are doing in very difficult circumstances. Lads have to get their time off but overall great work was done this year," he said.
Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley asked when the vacant position of an engineer in charge of roads and streetlights will be filled.
"It is impacting on us in our area. We are entitled to know. We are into the dark evenings," she said.
The Chief Executive John Mulholland outlined how they generally replace staff.
"When there is a vacancy, a request is made to the Department of Housing and Local Government to get consent. We act in a timely fashion. Dates of interviews are in the hands of the public appointments service. It takes some time and can be quick or slow, perhaps enough people don't apply.
"There were 110 taken on in the recruitment process this year, the highest in many years. There is an acute sense of oversight on recruitment," the CEO said.
He added that the process starts immediately when a staff member gives notice.
Cllr John King from the Mountmellick Borris-in-Ossory MD agrees on the shortage.
"There doesn't seem to be anybody filling in for emergencies," he said.
Cllr Aisling Moran said that "four weeks is enough time to replace staff who are on maternity leave".
"They are not replaced by the time they return," she claimed.
Cllr Aidan Mullins represents the same district as Cllr Brennan.
"I agree, the calibre of staff is great but there does seem to be a delay when staff leave. We lost an area engineer recently, a key member and excellent individual. Is there a difficulty to replace staff? There seems to be quite a delay. Areas can suffer," he said.