Galway Bay FM News Archives
Funerals delayed over Council staff shortage
Date Published: 14-Apr-2011
By Denise McNamara
Families who want to bury their loved ones over the weekend have been forced to delay proceedings as a result of a shortage of Council staff.
The issue of burials on Saturdays and Sundays was raised at this week’s City Council meeting by Councillor Ollie Crowe, who believes there should be a change of policy to accommodate bereaved families.
A recent case involved complaints from one family to several councillors.
Council staff in the two city local authority cemeteries – Bohermore and St Joseph’s in Rahoon – can dig a maximum of four graves a day between both graveyards on Saturdays and Sundays.
Only Council staff oversee the digging of the grave, in contrast to burials in rural areas which are traditionally carried out by friends and neighbours.
Once that limit is reached in the city, no further burials are permitted. Undertakers are obliged to contact Council officials by noon on a weekday to book a funeral.
The recent case came to the attention of councillors because the undertaker who told the family to go ahead with the arrangements without finalising the details with the Council first. Death notices were published advising of the weekend burial but then had to be changed after the Council indicated it could not provide the staff to organise the grave to be dug.
Cllr Crowe : “I’m aware of at least three cases in the past six weeks where this has happened. Families surely go through enough stress without giving them more. They shouldn’t have to suffer without arguing or bickering over an extra couple of quid.”
A spokesman from the council said three workers were needed to oversee a burial. There was a shortage of staff in every department due to the public service moratorium.
For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.
Date Published: 07-May-2013
Tuam has secured it’s second import of hay from the UK this afternoon in a bid to address the ongoing fodder crisis in the west.
A load of between 40 and 50 bales arrived at the Connacht Gold store in Airglooney for distribution throughout the county.
It follows a similar load last Thursday to the Tuam outlet.
The co-op also took a load of imported hay to the mart in Maam Cross over the weekend, however most of the bales had already been pre-assigned to farmers.
Further loads of hay are expected to arrive across the west and north west tonight and tomorrow morning.
Date Published: 09-May-2013
281 offers of social housing were made by the city and county councils last year.
Figures provided by the local authorities show that 46 of these were refused.
Galway city council made 193 such offers in 2012 with 41 of these refused.
The majority didn’t like the area they were offered or disliked the property itself.
Galway county council made 88 offers of social housing last year with 83 of these accepted.
Reasons given for refusing five properties focused on the location or that the property itself did not meet their needs.
Date Published: 13-May-2013
Galway Senator Trevor O’ Clochartaigh has called on the government to provide more support for victims of domestic violence.
Figures provided to the Sinn Fein Senator show that domestic violence support group COPE accompanied over 80 women to court in Galway last year, but a further 214 women were unable to avail of such assistance.
Senator O Clochartaigh told Galway Bay fm news that more needs to be done to support victims of domestic violence.
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