'Apprenticeship scheme needed to solve labour shortage'

Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad committee meeting

Apprentices needed

An apprenticeship scheme is needed to solve the labour shortage in Westmeath County Council, according to Cllr Frank McDermott.

He claims that the council cannot get anyone to drive a lorry, a digger or any machine and that few of its outdoor team are under 30.

Speaking at the July meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad, he said that the council should be providing apprenticeships for machine operatives, brick layers, electricians and "every trade known to man".

Deirdre Reilly, director of services, agreed to take it up with the Local Enterprise Office to see what can be done.

Gratitude to staff member

Garlands of gratitude and good wishes were heaped on staff member, Caroline Byrne, last week when she attended her last meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad. Members were loud in their praise of Caroline, who was described as "a lovely lady" and "the essence of professionalism" and wished her well in her new post.

Caroline acknowledged the good wishes and assured the members that she was not leaving the county council, just moving to a different department.

Outdoor dining review

Outdoor dining is likely to be reviewed at the end of September, members of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad learned at their July meeting.

Cllr Andrew Duncan said outdoor dining was feasible only for a limited time in Ireland as "realistically, it is not a sunny climate". He presumed it would not persist past the summer and if it did, he wanted it reviewed.

Cllr Bill Collentine said that outdoor dining was great on the footpaths and squares in the town, but was not keen on anymore car parking spaces being sacrificed. He urged that the allocation of car parking spaces to outdoor dining be done in a fair fashion to avoid friction among business people.

Council postbox

The postbox at Westmeath County Council is not being emptied fast enough or often enough for Cllr Michael Dollard. At the July meeting of the the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad, he expressed frustration that the council Offices still are not open to the public.

Director of services, Deirdre Reilly, said that all services are available on line or by appointment. She undertook to relay Cllr Dollard’s concerns about the post box to the corporate section.