Councillor accused of not being well informed

COUNCILLOR Paul O’Shea has been accused of not being “well informed” with a motion objecting to water charges, which lacked “credibility”.
The councillor said at this week’s meeting of Ennis Town Council that the introduction of water meters to 1.1 million householders will be further bad news for Ennis families.
“Not only will they now have to face water charges but it is also likely that they will be forced to pay for the installation of meters,” Councillor O’Shea said.
He proposed that Ennis Town Council remain opposed to the re-introduction of domestic water charges.
Councillor Peter Considine commented, “It is not well informed to say that people will have to pay for the installation of water meters. This motion lacks credibility. If someone comes up with a motion like this, they should come up with ways of meeting the costs. People will have to pay for what water they use, encouraging people to use water more carefully,” he commented.
He continued, “I don’t want to make this a political thing. This chamber has never been about that, nor about efforts to get headlines in the newspaper.”
Councillor Brian Meaney said that the motion was “flawed in its wording and sentiments”.
“Water provision and treatment is an extremely expensive business. Ireland is the only country in Europe which does not charge for the treatment of drinking water. It’s ill-informed to think it’s simply paying for the water which comes from the skies. Councillor O’Shea is incorrect. More ill-informed populist opinions. Councillor O’Shea is a more polished local politician than I, but I have no notion in agreeing to this kind of nonsense,” he commented.
Councillor O’Shea pointed out that he was merely making the point that it was unfair on people to have to pay as they had spent money buying water in Ennis in the past. “Regarding Councillor Meaney’s comments, my motion is not populist,” he said.
Councillor Michael Guilfoyle said that taxes being imposed on people were “too much”. “If it comes to voting over this in the future, I know what button I’ll push. There were buttons pushed in the Dáil recently and they were the wrong ones but if you’re looking at Green buttons all of the time, you’re bound to push them,” he remarked.
He added that he had never spent money on buying bottled water in Ennis. “I drank it all along and I’m grand,” he said.