News
Galway City jobless below 9,000 for first time in six years
By Denise McNamara
The number of jobless people signing on the Live Register in Galway City has dropped below 9,000 – its lowest level in almost six years.
The significant drop recorded last month was over 13% lower compared to the same period last year – with 1,347 fewer people in receipt of unemployment benefits.
It was a drop of 445 – or 4.7% – on the September figure.
The number of people signing on in the city according to the Central Statistics Office is 8,943, the lowest figures since December 2008. Of these, 5,377 are male and 3,566 are female and just over 1,100 of them are aged under 25.
Galway City is faring the best when it comes to the unemployment stakes, recording the largest fall of any city in the country.
Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford all dropped by between 9 and 11% compared to October 2013.
The downward trend in Galway City is replicated around the county, with a more than 11% overall decline. Loughrea had the biggest fall, dropping 13.4% to 2,334, followed by Gort at -9.2% (1,412), Tuam at -9% (3021), Clifden at -8.7% (1,056) and Ballinasloe at -6.8% (2,312).
The official number of claimants across the country is now at 358,630, an annual decrease of 37,882 or 9.6 %. The CSO said the standardised unemployment rate is now 11%.
Galway City reached an unemployment high in August 2009, when the figure hit 13,734, and the lowest figure from the past decade was recorded in November 2004, when it was just 4,627.
Welcoming the reduction in numbers on the Live Register in Galway, Fine Gael TD Sean Kyne said: “There is no doubt that this figure remains too high but it is very encouraging to see that things are moving in the right direction.”
He added: “Live Register figures have been dropping for many months now, the Government’s plan is working. The progress that has been made is due to the hard work and sacrifice of Irish people, of people in communities across Galway.”
Read more in this week’s Connacht Sentinel
From this week’s Galway City Tribune – An extensive gorse fire in the Tonabrocky area this week – which raged for over 12 hours – at one stage threatened a number of houses in the area.
Fire Brigade resources were stretched as they battled on Wednesday evening to contain the fire which burned across several acres before being brought under control in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Fire brigade units from the city, Athenry and Carraroe fought the blaze, which at one point led to fears that residents in nearby houses would have to be evacuated.
Up to six fire tenders were involved in fighting the blaze which is thought to have started around 4 or 5pm on Wednesday – it was one of a series of gorse fires which occurred around the county over the course of the past week.
Fire Brigade personnel fought the blaze through the evening and into the early hours of the morning before eventually having it fully contained by 6am on Thursday morning.
The fire – which sent plumes of smoke several feet into the air and also across local roads – occurred at an area of commonage between Boleybeg and Tonabrocky.
Local councillor, John Connolly, has urged Galway City and County Councils to come together and launch an awareness’ campaign about the dangers of fires during extended periods of dry weather.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the June 9 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.
From this week’s Galway City Tribune – The HSE has paid €11.85 million for the building to house its new ‘Integrated Care Hub’ in Knockncacarra – which is €1.35m over the open market value of the office block.
Confidential HSE documentation seen by the Galway City Tribune shows that Block A in Galway West Business Park – the former Aviva Insurance building – was independently valued at €10.5m.
The HSE subsequently paid €11.85m for the property.
According to the documentation, the building will cost €14.85m to fit out – however, that figure was based on construction costs in February 2022 and is expected to rise again due to inflation. Just seven months prior to that estimate, the fit-out works were costed at €10.8m.
A planning application is currently being put together for a new ‘Enhanced Primary Care Centre’ in the building, which will house Primary Care Teams as well as a unit for chronic disease management. A total of 105 staff will be based there.
When the matter was brought to the Board of the HSE nationally, they were told the purchase price was €1.3m above market value.
The other option shortlisted by the HSE was a ‘new build’ on lands at Merlin Park – this was costed at €33.1m because it would involve “considerable site upgrade works” and would much longer to deliver.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the June 9 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.
From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Gardaí in the city are investigating two reported incidents over the weekend of indecent exposure and offensive sexual conduct – one of them at a beach in Salthill and the other in the Eyre Square area.
In the first of the incidents in Eyre Square on Friday last, a man approached a woman at around 5.30pm and exposed himself.
The woman reported the incident to the Gardaí who are carrying out an investigation into what happened.
The second incident – which is understood to be unrelated to the first one – occurred at a busy beach in Salthill on Bank Holiday Monday.
One mother who contacted the Galway City Tribune said that she saw a man ‘writhing up and down in the sand’ before putting his hand down in the front of his Bermuda shorts.
She said that about 10-minutes later, the man moved along to the next beach – which was also crowded with people – while another woman nearby, who saw the same actions, contacted the Gardai.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the June 9 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.
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