Cllr Keith Martin says it is very disappointing that Minister John Gormley has refused to bring in a waiver to assist the elderly and low income families with refuse charges.
Cllr Martin says "The lack of a national waiver scheme is leading to unfairness and inequality amongst poor households because whether or not you get a waiver from waste charges depends on where you live in the country. If you live in one county you and qualify for your Council's waiver, you pay no waste charges. But if you live in another part of the country, where no waiver operates, you can be faced with waste charges of up to €500 a year.
"Research by Combat Poverty and MABS (Money and Advice Budgeting Service) has confirmed that not being able to avail of a waiver scheme puts a significant financial burden on low income households. Added to this burden is the fact that there is great variation in the amount charged for waste collection in different counties. Some pensioners are liable to pay up to two weeks of their pension on their annual waste charges."
But it is not all bad news as Cllr Keith Martin says that cases of hardship in relation to bin charges due to the removal of the waiver system by Westport Town Council will be assisted by Westport Town Council under its 2008 Budget despite the fact that the council have dropped its wavier scheme following the privatisation of the service.
At the 2008 Budget meeting of Westport Town Council, Town Manager Peter Hynes, gave a specific undertaking to assist cases of hardship in relation to bin charges in response to Cllr Martin's proposal to retain a Bin Waiver Scheme.
No comments:
Post a Comment