FERMANAGH residents have been left furious after a number of bins continue to go uncollected across the county, days after the much-anticipated rates bills were delivered to many local homes.
The Council recently voted to increase the district rate for householders and businesses, with a £1.50 per month increase for average residential rate payers and £4 per month for businesses.
The increase in the rates bill has arrived at a time when residents are venting their frustration over the Council’s struggling refuse services, with some bins not collected for over a month.
A number of local residents have contacted the ‘Herald with their concerns over bin collections.
“It’s very disappointing and frustration, especially after the rates bill came out,” a resident said.
“With temperatures rising and the weather becoming warmer, I’m very concerned that this could lead to excess smells and potentially rodents. We deserve for our bins to be collected on time.”
The Council has recently said that it’s going to assess its “working arrangements” later this month.
“The Council is in the process introducing new working arrangements for refuse collection. We ask for your understanding as these are embedded into our service delivery,” a statement read.
It’s been reported that during the month of March, households along 60 different routes in Fermanagh and Omagh district area missed out on their bins collections.
Local councillor, Mark Ovens, echoed the frustration felt by many at a recent Council meeting.
“I’m on the Council now for two years and I’ve never had as many frustrations or complaints raised with me as I have over these last few weeks,” Mr Ovens said.
“I’m not at all surprised that people are starting to complain quite significantly.”
Last summer, to cope with the demand, the Council was forced to employ more temporary staff.
It’s expected that they may be forced to do the same this year, in a bid to solve the refuse crisis.
“That’s a huge number of households that have been missed. We now have large number of households that have not had a bin lifted in four or six weeks,” explained Mr Ovens.
“That’s madness in my opinion. We need to be alert and can’t avoid or deny the fact that so many roads and houses are being missed.”
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