I’ve been away for the last few weeks, hence the lack of updates on this website. I’d like to thank Deputy Mayor, Cllr Ciaran Brogan for looking after my Mayoral deputies while I was away, and I’d also like to again offer my congratulations to Ciaran and his wife Lorraine on the arrival of their first child.
Last night’s meeting of Letterkenny Town Council saw a number of issues discussed. I had two motions on the agenda, both of which where unanimously supported:
1: That this council work with Donegal County Council, local schools and other groups, to develop and promote an awareness campaign on ways to conserve water effectively in the home and in businesses.
There can be no doubt that we are having difficulties with water supply, and sporadic outages, in the Letterkenny area. Donegal County Council have comprehensive plans in place to deal with this by developing the water supply network, and bringing new water sources on stream, but these developments will only come into effective in a timescale of months and years. A more immediate help to the problem would be to improve the way we use water. For example, one extended period of outage in the Lismonaghan was caused by a hose being left running and a tap left on.
There are a number of simple steps which can be taken to drastically reduce the amount of water used in the home. The best run-down I have seen to date is on the excellent TapTips website from local authorities in the Dublin area.
I hope we can work with the local schools to develop a comprehensive programme, which will also involve the media and working with businesses.
2: That this council meet with the HSE to discuss the provision of primary care services in Letterkenny
I’ve been contacted recently by a number of people, mainly new to the town, who have been having difficulty getting registered with a GP. I asked that the Town Council meet with representatives of the HSE to discuss the situation, and see if there is anything we can do to help recruit more doctors to the area.
Cllr Ciaran Brogan, who is a member of the HSE board for the North West, informed the meeting that the HSE is currently moving towards a new system of Primary Care delivery in the Letterkenny area, and has completed negotiations with Doctors on this matter. There remain, however, difficulties with the quantity of GP Doctors in the town.