‘Incredible’ West Mayo has no street sweeper and just seven outdoor staff

Councillors say a district that generates millions in commercial rates is being served by just seven outdoor workers

By Jack Good Published 5th Oct 2026, 08:30 BST Litter on James Street in Westport | Mayo News Councillors say a district that generates millions in commercial rates is being served by just seven outdoor workers Westport and the wider Westport- Belmullet -Achill Municipal District does not own a single street sweeper, and has only seven outdoor workers.

The issue was raised at a meeting of the Westport Belmullet Municipal District, where members criticised what they described as a steep decline in frontline services, from litter and weeds to blocked drains, grass cutting and graveyard maintenance.

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Cllr Peter Flynn said that when he joined the council in 1999, the local authority had 20 outdoor staff serving a town of about 5,000 people. Today, he said, Westport has around 8,000 residents, not counting the greater Westport area, and just seven outdoor workers.

He also recalled that the council bought its own street sweeper in 1999 for €100,000, at a time of serious recession.

"The municipal district doesn't even own a single street sweeper. It's incredible," Cllr Flynn said. "We do not own a single street sweeper from Belmullet all the way down to Leenane that we can call on, and we have to pay an external contractor every time we want to get something done."

He said the district also lacked chewing gum removers, vacuum units and other machinery available to other local authorities around the country.

Cllr Flynn said a recent deluge had exposed the problem, with large numbers of blocked gullies around the town allowing water onto roads and damaging roads and footpaths.

He also described a night on Bridge Street, Westport, when volunteers from Westport Tidy Towns removed 12 full bags of litter, weeds and dirt. The same group had done similar work three weeks earlier, he said, and there was no sign a street sweeper had touched the pavement.

"I'm not beating up the local staff. I really not," he said. "But it just is indicative of where we are."

Mayo woman who faced homelessness develops housing information website New GP set to start in Westport in December brings relief to Mayo patients He said that without the work of Tidy Towns groups, the Rural Social Scheme and TÚS workers, services would be "in absolutely dire straits".

Cllr Flynn said he had asked the council's head of finance for the list of the top 100 ratepayers in the county. Excluding bodies such as Irish Water , the ESB and telecoms companies, he said more than half of the top ratepayers are based in this municipal district.

According to Cllr Flynn, Corrib Gas and wind energy companies contribute more than €4 million to the council's budget; Abbvie, the area's biggest industry, contributes €2 million in rates and the ten hotels in Westport together contribute around €1 million.

"And yet we have seven outdoor workers. It is just incredible," he said.

Cllr Brendan Mulroy said the district was badly short of staff. "We're definitely understaffed," he said. "We're not understaffed by five or six people. We're understaffed by, I'd say, in the whole municipal area, we're probably up to 30 workers."

He said that was "very damning" on Mayo County Council, but also put pressure on workers on the ground, who he said were "working against work against work". He said Westport had two lawnmowers, which he called "a disgrace".

Cllr Mulroy said people in West Mayo were "totally disillusioned" because they remembered the service the council once provided.

Other councillors raised further concerns. Cllr John O'Malley said homeowners on Mill Street had complained of the smell of sewage, and that sewers were no longer being flushed as they once were. He also pointed to the privatisation of bin collections. Cllr Gerry Coyle asked where locally generated money was going, and suggested part-time staff could be taken on for a few months in summer.

Joanne Grehan, Director of Services at Mayo County Council, acknowledged that the council now owns less equipment than in the past. She said the current model is based on procurement, leasing and hiring in equipment as needed, which is considered more cost-efficient and means machines are well maintained.

She said the council would be seeking additional staff for graveyards and beaches, and might consider merging some responsibilities because of the size of the geographic area. She said the situation in Westport is under continuous review, with growing demands on outdoor and craft workers.

Heather Gibbons, Senior Executive Engineer, said unexpected and unplanned leave among staff over the summer meant the team had to be reshuffled. As a result, the street sweeper was not out every morning as it normally would be in summer. Staff were redeployed to cover services such as bin collections, which she said took priority over sweeping streets.

Cllr Flynn said the council could not simply "rubber stamp another identical budget" in December. He called for a shift "from people working in offices doing nice to have roles" to having staff on streets, green areas and roads.

"The message needs to go back down and clear. We need additional capital equipment, and we need additional staffing," he said.

He added that a council with a state-of-the-art street sweeper in 1999 now has none. "How do you explain that to someone on the street? I can't. I really cannot."