Clare Public Participation Network Statement: Date: 17/10/2017
Clare PPN calls for emergency plan to be put in place for roadside-dwelling Travellers during weather alerts.
Clare Public Participation Network’s Social Inclusion Representatives commend Clare County Council and the county’s emergency services for their swift actions and clear and frequent updates during the status red weather alert which accompanied ex hurricane Ophelia on the 15th of October. It came to the representatives’ attention however that there had been no provisions made to ensure the safety of the members of the Traveller community who live on the roadside in temporary dwellings. People contacting the Council’s emergency number were advised that no plan was in place for roadside dwelling Travellers and that they should ‘stay put’ until the storm abated. Clare PPN calls on the Council management and on elected representatives to ensure that a contingency plan is immediately put in place for any future such weather events which would at a minimum offer temporary secure shelter to all of those who need it. Clare PPN’s Social Inclusion Representatives are concerned that a failure to do this could result in injuries or fatalities which could be prevented by advance planning and so it calls on all those responsible to take action before the winter sets in fully.
Signed:
Mary O’Donoghue, Local Community Development Committee.
Sarah Clancy, Local Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee.
Dermot Hayes, Social Development Strategic Policy Committee.
George Atijohn, Clare Public Participation Network Secretariat.
Damon Matthew Wise Âû, Physical Development Strategic Policy Committee.
Details: Enquiries about anything to do with Clare PPN can be directed to sarah@clareppn.ie or 087 1617375.
Notes:
Clare PPN is a network of community, voluntary, environmental and social inclusion groups from Clare. It exists to facilitate the formal participation by the community sector in Clare County Council’s decision making structures. It is funded jointly by the Department of Community and Rural Development and Clare County Council but is autonomous and its activities are directed by its members through an elected secretariat.
Clare PPN’s website is www.clareppn.ie and they are on twitter @clare_ppn and https://facebook.com/clareppn/