Help of private contractors needed in Tipperary during icy weather

It was a bone of contention that Tipperary County Council didn’t recruit private contractors to clear roads until during the week when the recent snowstorm struck the county, Cllr Richie Molloy stated at a meeting of Clonmel Borough District.

He said that Limerick County Council, in contrast, had recruited outside contractors from the start of the snowstorm that weekend.

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Cllr Molloy asked if Tipperary County Council had a contingency plan in place to hire outside contractors during such a weather event. The council didn’t have the necessary equipment and staff resources were limited.

However, he thanked the council staff for their huge effort. It had been a difficult week and people had been trapped in housing estates.

The roads and footpaths in estates in the district were in a shocking state and it made you wonder about designing estates with slopes.

District Mayor Pat English thanked the staff of Clonmel Borough District, as well as the executive, who he said went above and beyond the call of duty during the snow/ice event.

The response of the emergency and homeless services had also been second to none, as had the contribution of private contractors.

He said that the council should be looking at plans going forward to ensure that they were prepared to tackle another weather event like this.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose also thanked everybody involved for what had been a huge effort.
“Everybody wants everything done yesterday and everybody wants every bit of snow cleared,” she said.

The council’s outdoor staff had been out working in the middle of the night, as well as during the day, and people sometimes didn’t realise the huge effort being made.

If this was to be the norm going forward, the council should look at providing salt containers in areas that could be monitored by organisations such as community councils.

Some people were also afraid to clear the footpaths outside of their houses in case they were sued in the event of someone falling.

It was extraordinary that the route for the town bus, which was a lifeline for people, had been kept free, she said.

Cllr Tom Acheson acknowledged the work carried out by the council’s indoor and outdoor staff to keep the show on the road. He said the message should go out to people that when such a weather warning was issued they should stock up on the essentials to avoid unnecessary travel.

District Manager Jonathan Cooney said that they had 380 kilometres of road, stretching from Kilsheelan to New Inn and Rosegreen, to look after in the district, with 25 staff looking after that area.

He acknowledged that staff numbers were limited. Some of the outdoor staff were out working at 2am, and some roads had to be salted three times.

He thanked all the council staff, especially the outdoor staff.

He also acknowledged community support, which he said was phenomenal; as well as the assistance of the Civil Defence and the fire services, while the council had also engaged private contractors.

Mr Cooney complimented everyone involved.