‘Deplorable behaviour’ - Call for ban on storage of sulkies in Waterford council houses

A local councillor has called for a ban on the storage of sulkies in council houses in Waterford.

Fianna Fáil councillor Jason Murphy spoke on the subject at the July plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.

Cllr Murphy said: “I’d like to first of all support my colleague, Cllr Hearne, in his call for the banning of sulkies on our roads.

“On a related topic, what’s our council’s policy on houses and the storage of sulkies in council properties, particularly council housing and council estates.

“I know of many cases but I know one particular case at the moment where one of our own tenants is storing up to four sulkies in a council house.

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“Now, by the very nature of a sulky in a council house you’re going to have horses in council estates so do we have a policy around the storage of sulkies in our housing?”

He went on to call for the storage of sulkies in council houses to be banned by the local authority.

“If we don’t, I think we should, I think it should be banned.

“If you look at this in the context of a person can only have one dog in a council house, if they’re living in an apartment, you can’t have an animal at all but yet we’re allowing people store up to four sulkies or more in the front of council houses.

“Of course, this leads to horses in council estates on sulkies running through estates.

“So I think we as a council can take action by banning the storage of sulkies in council houses.”

He concluded by saying that the storage of sulkies is “totally unacceptable” and “deplorable behaviour” that “needs to be banned immediately”.

In response to Cllr Murphy, Director of Services Seamus De Faoite said that he wasn’t aware of any such storage policies.

Mr De Faoite said: “I’m not aware of any policy around the storage of sulkies but I’m not aware of any policy around the storage of anything else either.

“It’s one thing having a policy, but there’s also the enforcement then.

“There is no point in having something on paper unless we can follow through on it.

“Again, you’re back working with An Garda Síochána and other State agencies as well around that.”

He concluded by assuring Cllr Murphy that the council would have a “look at” the issue.