Green Party TD Steven Matthews has called for additional support and resources from Wicklow County Council for Greystones Tidy Towns. The objective of Greystones Tidy Towns is to make Greystones the “most liveable community” and as a result of the work of dedicated volunteers Greystones was awarded a Silver Medal in the National Tidy Towns Competition in both 2019 and 2021. Discussing the need for assistance from Wicklow County Council, Deputy Matthews said:
“I’m extremely disappointed at the lack of local authority support for Greystones Tidy Towns. They do incredible work throughout the community, as do all the other Tidy Towns groups across Wicklow. The Greystones volunteers have spent over 1,800 hours of litter picking, weeding and painting over the past 2 months which is testament to their commitment to improving their town.
“However, Greystones Tidy Towns have stated that they are unable to continue the current level of volunteering without the support of allocated ground staff to Greystones Municipal District to assist with litter picking, weed maintenance and general upkeep of the area. There are genuine concerns amongst the group about the over-reliance on volunteers, who have limited time and should not be expected to carry out work on behalf of the local authority. Over the past 18 months I have repeatedly called for a review of ground staffing levels across Wicklow and met with the Director of Services in Wicklow County Council to advocate further supports for Tidy Towns.
“I have been an active member of Tidy Towns for many years, the success of these groups is visible throughout our towns and villages. I have arranged to meet with Greystones Tidy Towns in the coming weeks to join them in their work, to discuss future projects and to get the full details on the supports that they need to continue their work. I am also urgently seeking a meeting with Wicklow County Council, in which I hope to address the concerns of members of Greystones Tidy Towns.
“I am calling for more ground staff to be allocated to the Greystones Municipal District to assist with the work of Greystones Tidy Towns. If there are any local groups with similar concerns, I would encourage them to get in touch and I would be happy to offer any support that I can”, Deputy Matthews concluded.
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