Council object to new State water company

KERRY County Council has sent a submission to the Department of the Environment expressing their objection to the setting up of a new State company that will take over the water investment and maintenance programmes of the country's local authorities.

Serious concerns have been raised by the council's elected members about the creation of the new Irish Water Board, which is essentially 'a done deal' and will be completed by 2017, according to the council's director water services, Oliver Ring.

Cllr Danny Healy-rae raised the issue at the monthly meeting of the local authority, where he, along with other councillors, said he feared it could lead to the country's water supply being privatised. This , he believes, could lead to more charges for householders.

The councillors expressed concerns that the setting up of a national body would mean that local knowledge built up by staff would be lost, leading to all sorts of local problems.

Cllr Johnny Healy Rae asked management to imagine the chaos that would erupt if a water supply down in the heart of south Kerry was interrupted or cut off, and no local person was available to sort the problem. He said the local knowledge is key in the water services department, particularly the staff who have, up to now, been available at the end of a phone on bank holidays and other holiday periods.

"Imagine trying to get an answer from a regional office somewhere in Limerick on a bank holiday or Christmas Day. God knows how long people would be waiting to solve the problem." he said.

Several councillors said they were concerned that the setting up of the Irish Water Board could lead to the country's water supply being privatised, which could mean more charges for householders.

Director of Water Services with Kerry County Council Oliver Ring said that although the implementation of the new national body was 'a done deal', there was no mention anywhere of the service being privatised.

Councillor Jim Finucane said he too had concerns about the board but agreed that nowhere in any documentation is privatisation mentioned.