Proposals to close recycling centres across Mid Ulster condemned

SEVERAL councillors across from across Mid Ulster have expressed concern about proposals to close five recycling centres across the district.

At the local authority’s special meeting on Monday, members were presented with a report on Council’s planned expenditure for the 2023/24 financial year.

These figures were used in helping council to strike its 7.3 per cent increase in the district domestic rate and included in the detail was a saving for the ‘rationalisation of waste recycling centres’ which the report notes includes a ‘programme of planned closures at Castledawson, Coalisland, Draperstown, Fivemiletown and Moneymore’.

With the proposal to strike the rate at 7.3 per-cent brought forward by Sinn Fein group leader, Cllr Cathal Mallaghan, seconded by his party colleague Cllr Ian Milne and SDLP group leader, Cllr Malachy Quinn signalling his party’s intention to support the proposal, independent councillor Dan Kerr asked if the proposal still included the recommendation to close the recycling centres in question.

‘HUGE BLOW’

“In Coalisland, at least, I believe that will be a huge blow to the ratepayer if that was to go ahead,” said the Torrent councillor.

Council’s chief executive, Adrian McCreesh, told the chamber that ‘as it stands, the papers reflect the expenditure items that are in there with the agreement of the members’.

Councillor Clement Cuthbertson also drew attention to a line in the report noting Council would reduce contractor costs by ‘cessation of grass verge cutting’, and asked what would happen to staff at these recycling centres and those who cut grass verges.

Mr McCreesh assured the chamber there was ‘no appetite in this organisation for any form of compulsory redundancy’, and claimed the decision to close the recycling centres was based, in part, on the ‘lifespan of the facilities in question’.

‘PERIPHERY’

Council’s vice-chair, Cllr Frances Burton said she is sure the decision to close the recycling centre in Fivemiletown – an area that already feels it is ‘on the periphery of Mid Ulster’ – will ‘go down badly’ with local residents who will see their rates bill increase.

“Maybe we should have had some form of consultation with the people,” said the vice chair.

Mrs Burton added, “It is a fair wee travel for people to get from Fivemiletown to Dungannon so how do we make it as easy as possible? The last thing we want is for stuff to be dumped outside these centres and people left living close to these areas left in that situation.”

The Clogher Valley councillor also asked for clarity for staff who may now be fearful their job status has essentially become ‘go somewhere else, or you don’t have a job’.

Mr McCreesh said these points will addressed at Council’s environment committee ‘in the very near future’, and told the chamber that in relation to staff ‘nothing is set in stone’.