Watch: 'Buncrana was left in an unacceptable state and it's simply not good enough'
Buncrana has been named as Donegal’s tidiest town for each of the last three years, but mess on the street this morning has been condemned by the Buncrana Tidy Towns Initiative and local councillors
Buncrana Tidy Towns Initiative has warned that the mess being left on the streets overnight will damage the town’s reputation.
Buncrana has been named as Donegal’s tidiest town for each of the last three years, but without a road sweeper from Donegal County Council due to cost restraints, a contractor had to be hired in from Letterkenny this morning, Monday, who only clean roads and not footpaths.
“Hey Buncrana, as you may have noticed, our main street has suffered a relapse in cleanliness of late,” Buncrana Tidy Towns Initiative posted, along with the embedded video. “We have lost the road sweeper, due to budget constraints. Donegal County Council cannot justify the cost. This, however, is extremely unfair to all our business owners who pay ever-increasing rates and all our citizens who pay the property tax. Are we getting value for our money?
“The council managed to get a contractor from Letterkenny to clean the street this morning, but they didn't include the footpaths. This was also a decision by the council, not to pay for a blower.
“Our little group are all volunteers, we all have jobs and busy lives, we cannot take this on. Unfortunately, despite the work we do on other projects, it puts our entry to the competition at risk of not achieving the gold medal this year.”
Cllr Joy Beard said that discussions were underway with fellow Inishowen MD councillors Jack Murray and Fionán Bradley to find a solution, saying that the situation in regards the litter is “simply not good enough.”
She said: “This morning, Buncrana was left in an unacceptable state, and it's simply not good enough. Our beautiful town deserves better.
“Jack, Fionán, and I have been in discussions just a few days ago with Donegal County Council road staff and the incredible Buncrana Tidy Towns team to find a solution and we will continue to do so until we ensure this never happens again.
“The Tidy Towns volunteers work tirelessly to keep our town clean, welcoming, and looking its best and are amazing at what they do. Keeping Buncrana litter-free is not just about pride, it's about respect for our community and for the visitors we are proud to welcome here.
Cllr Murray added: “Needless to say, I've been contacted by a lot of people due to the mess of the town street this morning. It's clearly unacceptable.
Due to commercial sensitivities, I can't comment on the discussions that have been happening with regard to the street sweeper, but I can say this - I, and other councillors, have been meeting with the Tidy Towns and our roads staff to try and come up with a resolution. We will continue to work on this.
“The Tidy Towns volunteers are fantastic. They take serious pride in their town and have Buncrana looking immaculate. They repeatedly deliver gold medals and are on the verge of winning a national title. They deserve every support that they can get, and I, and with other councillors are committed to doing that. We will find a solution so that this doesn't happen again. We have to. Our rate payers, our community and our Tidy Towns volunteers deserve that.”