EIGHT additional staff, employed for the first time to assist with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s waste management work during the 2025/2026 financial year, are to be retained in their roles for the coming 12 months.
Waste collection has been a key issue over the past year, with many residents raising complaints about brown and blue bins not being collected at the designated times.
The discussion took place as councillors passed a motion requiring ratepayers to pay an extra 1.96 per-cent in rates for the coming year. Local councillors approved the increase at a meeting at The Grange in Omagh on Thursday night. The rise, which is among the lowest in the North, was passed by a vote of 28 in favour and six against.
It is estimated that the increase will amount to £10 more per year for domestic ratepayers with properties of an average net capital value of £115,000.
Addressing the special council meeting, chief executive Alison McCullagh outlined what has been done to address refuse concerns and how those efforts will continue.
“The eight staff who were taken on last year are to be retained. We have also increased our budget for casual cover and our budget for sickness is also being increased,” she said. “There is also £3.5 million in capital for additional vehicles; there are additional fuel costs to fund additional lifts (collections) and we have additional cover for our recycling centres.”
Councillors heard that £95,000 has been allocated to provide casual cover when required, £3.5 million towards the purchase of additional vehicles, additional cover at recycling centres, and £20,000 for fuel.
The chief executive said there is also enhanced provision to ensure the resilience of the service and that efforts are ongoing to continue the rollout of brown bins.
“We are having the largest investment in this council area that has ever been done previously,” she added.
Ms McCullagh also strongly rejected claims that money was being squandered by the council.
“While I understand that there will be different political points, it is factually incorrect to suggest that this council has squandered money,” the chief executive added.
“The money spent is fully-auditable and that is why the council has had a fully-qualified audit in the past.
“In relation to foreign visits, plural, I cannot say there were any others in addition to the recent visit (to China). But to confirm, the return visit was the unanimous decision of this council. No dissent was expressed by any individual or party.
“In terms of fireworks, the council did make additional provision last year, but what we decided to do was to invest in the growth of events and further money has been put into that for the coming year.”
The chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council also strongly rejected claims that the council is “failing.”
Barry McElduff, who will serve in the post until June, said the local authority is ‘a very high-performing one’.
