Speaking at November’s Plenary meeting for Waterford County Council, Fianna Fáil councillor, Adam Wyse, highlighted that time and attention is being wasted by the current housing system which allows multiple councillors to make representations to the housing department on behalf of the same constituent.
As was highlighted in November’s meeting to pass the 2026 Council budget, housing dominates the representations made from constituents to their local councillors in Waterford. Cllr. Wyse is saying that it is not uncommon for a constituent to contact multiple councillors who then make multiple queries with the Council’s department, which wastes a huge amount of resources that are already stretched thin.
“I think we’re doing ourselves a disservice in the way that we do it,” said Cllr. Wyse.
“I often get phone calls from people in Waterford looking for help when it comes to housing and they will tell me that they spoke to 10 or 11 other Councillors. I ring some of the housing staff and they pick up the phone and tell me that they have already have 10 or 11 phone calls about that individual.”
“I think it’s not servicing the people of Waterford correctly, I think we are wasting a lot of our staff’s time. I don’t think they should be on the phone speaking to councillors repeating the same information over and over.”
Cllr. Wyse then suggested a new representation system within which a constituent would have to nominate a councillor of their choosing, and could swap to another councillor quickly if they saw fit.
“I’m asking that the housing SPC will look at an item on the agenda and report back to this Council that you have to designate a councillor on your behalf.”
“So if someone comes to me and they have already designated Eamon Quinlan they could no longer do that. But if they then want to withdraw from using Eamon Quinlan’s expertise, I would then get that information straight away as well so we’re not wasting and doubling work.
“I think the fact that council services in the homeless and grants section are up to their eyes with getting phone calls to us, repeating information, it actually stops them from doing their jobs, which is trying to actually help people with their housing concerns.”
SPCs are Strategic Policy Committees, which bring councillors, representatives, and stakeholders together on an issue of shared concern.
The Council’s Director of Services for housing Seamus De Faoite, said he would welcome such a system, and agreed with Cllr. Wyse in principle but said it is up to the councillors themselves to purpose such a system to the Executive.
“We would welcome such a system. But that agreement has to come from the floor. There are 32 elected members there, you have to come up with an agreement for us.
“From our perspective, as Cllr. Wyse pointed out, we get numerous reps in relation to the same application. So if such a system would work, we would welcome it.”
AARON KENT
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting scheme
