Mayo County Council has confirmed that beach lifeguarding season will begin this Bank Holiday Weekend with lifeguard teams on duty from 12:00pm Saturday on official beaches.

Co Mayo’s official life-guarded beaches are:

• Keem Bay,
• Keel Beach,
• Silver Strand, Doogort,
• Mulranny Beach,
• Ross Strand, Killala,
• Carrowniskey Strand,
• Carrowmore Beach,
• Old Head Beach,
• Bertra Beach.

Beaches can be visited only if they are within the 5km radius of home until Monday, 8^th June, when Phase 2 of the Government Roadmap for Re-opening will commence.

Mayo County Council is reminding the public that the 2 metre Social Distancing Rule MUST be observed by all, and this is also the case in any interaction with lifeguards.

Councillors in Ballina are concerned with the lack of plans to improve the N26 road.

Fine Gael Councillor John O Hara has extended an invitation to the Transport authority to see the state of the road first hand.

A delegation from Mayo County Council and two SPC members will meet with Transport Infrastructure Ireland in Dublin on the 18^th of November.

One of the SPC members Cllr. Seamus Weir says TII will not come down to Ballina to see ‘a Mickey Mouse project’.

Cllr. Weir says unless the N26 gets substantial capital funding the road will remain in its current state.

Mayo GAA and Mayo County Council have confirmed that progress continues to be made on the Lough Lannagh facility which was announced previously and which is being advanced as a partnership project. 

Due diligence work on the site has been completed and the purchase of the site is being finalised.

The intention is that the project will move to planning in February 2020.   

The site is adjacent to Lough Lannagh and the new Castlebar Swimming Pool and close to the Castlebar Campus of GMIT.

The project will form part of a state-of-the-art sport, tourism and recreation hub.

The Main Contract for the Realignment of the N26 Foxford to Swinford road at Cloongullane Bridge has been awarded by Mayo County Council to BAM Civil Ltd.

The project is managed by the Mayo National Roads Office and includes the realignment of 1.8km of road.

A key aspect of the project is the construction of a new bridge over the environmentally sensitive River Moy to replace the existing stone arch bridge and the project will include sections of the road that approach Cloongullane Bridge. 

Works get underway this month and will be complete by the summer of 2022.

Acting Chief Executive of MCC Peter Duggan says he is delighted to have the works begin on this highly anticipated project. The project  will vastly improve the day-to-day commutes for road users.

For updates on road closures or traffic delays while the project is on-going please visit www.mayo.ie and follow @MayoCoCo on Facebook and Twitter.

Mayo County Council can confirm that the major clean-up operation at the Dun na mBó cliffs near Belmullet has been completed.

Following notification from a passing kayaker, Mayo County Council hired a specialist team of rope access experts from ‘Over The Ground Rope Access’, a Dublin based company, to clean the cliffs on last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, August 28-30.

Funding for the hire of the specialist team was secured under the National Anti-Dumping Initiative.

Mayo County Council Environment Awareness Officer, Sharon Cameron, says prosecutions are hopefully on the way; “We are anxious to find out who is responsible for this reprehensible act and hope to find something in the waste which might point us towards a prosecution. Mayo County Council has been doing surveillance on the area and permanent cameras are going to be put up to stop this from happening again.

“We would like to thank the person who informed us of the illegal dumping which had taken place. It is disturbing to see this damage being done to our beautiful coastline but thankfully now it has been cleaned up and will remain that way.”

A master plan for the development of Moore Hall and its environs is expected to be put before members of Mayo county council by this Autumn.

That was confirmed by Director of Services  for the local authority, Catherine McConnell at a meeting of the Special Policy Committee on Tourism this week.

The historical and ecological significance of the house and the 80 acre site, located at Lough Carra, about 12 km from Castlebar, was outlined to the committee by Senior Council Engineer Padraig Philbin.

The house and lands were bought by Mayo County Council from Coillte some months ago and the authority is now working with the National Parks and Wildlife Dept to develop the location as a conservation for birds and bats, and as a recreational facility for the people of the region.

The master plan will set out how, and in what stages, the development will advance.

Padraig Philbin told the meeting that the reaction to the local authority purchasing the site has been tremendous.

Local authorities who are failing to spend their Traveller acccomodation budgets could face financial sanctions, under proposals being examined by a Government-appointed expert group.

The Oireachtas Committee on Housing heard yesterday that, in the last year, 9 local authorities - including Mayo and Galway County Councils - have not spent a cent of their allocation for Traveller accommodation.

The committee heard from members of the expert committee established earlier this year by Minister of State Damien English to review the operation of the 1998 Traveller Accommodation Act and how local authorities are delivering Traveller accommodation.

They suggested that councils not delivering Traveller accommodation should face, for example, having their roads budget cut to focus the minds of elected representatives.

Mayo County Council is being accused of wasting money on erecting 80 kph speed limit signs on third-class roads in Killala -  roads which are totally unsuitable for such speeds.

Killala-based FG Councillor Jarlath Munnelly says the signs could encourage people to drive faster on roads that are unsuitable for such speeds, rather than spending the money on signs that are needed in the area - such as signs for the new carpark in the town, or local schools and cemeteries.

Councillor Munnelly told Midwest News that he will be raising the issue at the next meeting of Mayo County Council.

Mayo County Councillors failed to approve the 2020 budget for the county today, as the annual budget meeting was adjourned without agreement - for a second time.

Council management is seeking a 3% increase in rates, and is proposing to cut the General Municipal Allocation -GMA funding by half for each of the four Municipal Districts in Mayo.

GMA funding is allocated by elected councillors to voluntary and community groups, and councillors are refusing to accept a 50% reduction next year, while Mayo County Council was one of 8 local authorities nationally that voted not to increase Local Property Tax next year.

Councillors will reconvene next Monday to continue to try and agree a Budget.

The Standards in Public Office Commission has today published reports, following an investigation into allegations of planning irregularities involving Mayo County Council Chief Executive Peter Hynes, FG Councillor Cyril Burke and Independent Councillor Frank Durcan.

Following an investigation hearing, which was conducted in private over seven days between October 2017 and February 2018, the Commission makes no findings against CEO Peter Hynes.

The Standards in Public Office Commission has found against Councillor Frank Durcan on respect of two of the three alleged contraventions, and has also found against Councillor Cyril Burke on two of the five alleged contraventions.

The investigation followed allegations that Councillor Burke had asked Councillor Durcan to withdraw a Freedom of Information request, in exchange for the favourable zoning of lands Mr Durcan owned at Aghalusky, Castlebar.

Responding to the publication of the reports, Mayo County Council CEO Peter Hynes told Midwest News that he's pleased to have been totally vindicated.

Mayo County Council has launched a new helpline today, to assist people in accessing non-emergency supports and advice during the Covid-19 emergency.

The confidential phoneline service is being established by the new Covid-19 Mayo County Council Community Response Forum, which includes over a dozen agencies and organisations.

The main aim of the helpline is to ensure that vulnerable members of the community across Co mayo or those living alone can access deliveries of groceries, medicine and fuel.

The helpline number is 094 - 9064660 and is open from 8am to 8pm.

Mayo County Council is ranked in 24th place of 30 local authorities in terms of regulating and enforcing waste services.

RTE Investigates carried out an analysis of the activities of local authorities in the waste sector over a 3-year period.

Donegal was found to be the poorest-performing local authority in terms of its inspection rates of facilities and its investment in waste services, while Wicklow was deemed the best council for managing waste services

The study found that, across the country, there's a lack of consistency in staffing levels for waste enforcement, the amount of money spent on waste regulation, the rate of inspections carried out on waste facilities, and the number of actions taken against those who break the law.

Of 30 areas surveyed, Mayo is in 24th place.

The study found that, between 2015 and 2016, Mayo Co Co spent €11.23 per person on waste services v- which is €6 per person less than the national average.

Mayo Co Co carried out 52 inspections on waste facilities between 2014 and 2016, which is less than half the national average.

The council took 34 enforcement actions during that time, which is two-thirds less than the national average.

Roscommon County Council performed much better, and is ranked in third place out of 30 local authorities, spending €19.35 per person on waste services.

Mayo County Council is one of a number of local authorities that have received complaints over the last two years about farmers spreading slurry.

The Irish Farmers Journal reports that almost 250 complaints nationally have been made - with the complaints to county councils relating to both the smell, and road conditions following slurry spreading.

Cork has the highest number of complaints about the smell of slurry spreading, with 19 complaints formally lodged already this year and 27 complaints last year.

Other councils to record formal criticism of the smell of slurry spreading were Mayo, Donegal and Carlow.

County Councils also received complaints in relation to road conditions following slurry spreading - with Louth and Monaghan County Council receiving the highest number of these complaints.

Mayo County Council is to host climate action information evenings in three locations across the county this week, following the launch of the Public Consultation Process for the draft Climate Adaptation Strategy.

The public are invited to make submissions on the draft plan the council has put together, ahead of it being adopted by the council in September to comply with the national deadline.

The Mayo County Council Draft Climate Adaptation Strategy is available for inspection the council's Municipal Offices and at all Mayo libraries until Wednesday 3rd July, and is also available to view on the council's website - www.mayococo.ie

A number of information evenings are also being held across the county this week where members of the public can make observations or ask questions on the plan - the first meeting is tonight at Áras Inis Gluaire in Belmullet, followed by a meeting in The Regional Training Centre at the Mall in Castlebar tomorrow evening and in Westport Town Hall on Thursday evening between 7 and 8pm.

The closing date for submissions on the draft climate action plan is 3rd July.

Mayo County Council is to introduce a multi-annual programme of works, aimed at slowing down traffic in housing estates across the county.

While a 30 km/h speed limit is being introduced in many housing estates, vehicles are travelling over that speed limit- often due to the layout and design of roads in the estate, according to Killala-based FG Councillor Jarlath Munnelly.

At this week's meeting of Mayo County Council, he called for a survey of all housing estates in the county to identify those most in need of solutions to slow down traffic, and a programme of works to be completed over a number of years to put in place these solutions, which could include chicanes, ramps and rumble strips.

A Mayo Councillor has called for smaller landlords to be exempt from tax on the income they earn on second properties.

Killala based Fine Gael Cllr Jarlath Munnelly had a motion down at this week’s monthly meeting of Mayo County Council asking the Minister for Finance to exempt income generated from private rented accommodation from taxation in next year’s budget.

Cllr Munnelly stressed that this was aimed at the small landlords, who only have one or two properties.

He said it would allow landlords to rent out these properties at a reasonable rate, which could help to alleviate the housing crisis.

Cllr Munnelly says many properties around the county are vacant at present, because these smaller landlords cannot afford the taxation on the income generated by them.

The motion received the backing of his fellow councillors at the meeting.

A Mayo Councillor is calling on the Transport Minister Shane Ross to allocate funding for LIS roads in Co Mayo.

The Minister for Community & Rural Affairs Michael Ring has allocated over €2 million euro for LIS roads in Mayo over the past year, in three separate allocations, but Ballyhaunis-based Councillor John Cribben says Minister Shane Ross has not sanctioned any money for these private roads, since becoming Minister for Transport.

The issue was raised at this week’s meeting of Mayo County Council, where Councillor Cribben’s motion, calling on the local authority to write to Minister Ross requesting that he allocate funds for LIS roads in Co Mayo, was carried.

A long sought after report outlining all the properties and lands in the ownership of Mayo County Council is to be available to councillors by March next (2020), but should be available right now, according to Fine Gael councillor Donna Sheridan.

The time frame for the delivery of the report was confirmed to the cllr at this week’s monthly meeting of Mayo County Council.

She has welcomed the response but insists it should already be compiled and accessible.

The CEO of the authority Peter Hynes twice refused to provide such a report to the councillor earlier this year, but eventually conceded that it would be made available, but explained that it would take time and resources to compile.

Cllr Sheridan wants information on the state of the properties owned by the authority, and any plans for renovations or sales of properties. She argues this information should be readily available to elected councillors before approving an annual budget.

She spoke to Midwest News about the timeframe now given for the completion of the report she insisted on securing

At Monday’s meeting of Mayo County Council, Councillors approved a proposal to seek the designation of the former Asahi site in Killala as a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ). This issue was first raised by Fine Gael Councillor Jarlath Munnelly at a meeting of the Ballina Municipal District last year. Following this decision, Mayo County Council will write to the Minister for Housing, Planning & Local Government Eoghan Murphy, requesting designation for this site.

Speaking on the issue at Monday’s meeting, Cllr. Munnelly outlined the particular assets that this site contains, including connectivity to the national electricity grid, the location of the transatlantic optical fibre landing station on the site, in addition to water and sewerage facilities. Cllr. Munnelly also highlighted the projects in development on or near the site that are going to generate renewable electricity, which will be a big advantage to the site.

The proposal received cross party support at the meeting, with many Councillors pointing out the importance of this site to all of North Mayo.

Responding to the proposal, council chief executive Peter Hynes welcomed the idea, and outlined that the process would not be straight forward. But he acknowledged the uniqueness of the site, the significant land holding that Mayo County Council has here, and the potential it offers for job creation.

A representative of the telecommunications company Eir has been requested to attend the next monthly meeting of Mayo County Council to address the problems with the service across the region over many months now.

The motion was proposed by Castlebar councillor Ger Deere at yesterday’s monthly meeting of the authority, and received unanimous support.

A number of councillors spoke of situations over the Covid 19 lockdown where elderly persons, living alone, were left without a landline telephone service for up to 5 weeks. The elderly rely on the service for their pendant alarms, and councillors said the elderly and their families were left frustrated unable to contact Eir, and if they did manage to report the fault were subsequently left waiting weeks for the fault to be fixed.

Contacting the telecommunications company to report a problem was described as a nightmare, cllr Deere said it was ironic that when the country was asked “to answer the call” as the pandemic hit, it remained almost impossible to get an answer when you tried calling Eir .

 Midwest News has tried contacting Eir today for a response to the criticism. We e-mailed the company’s press office and are awaiting a response.