Council votes against nationalised water service

Galway City Councillors have accused the Government of trying to ‘turn a basic human right into a commodity’.

At a meeting at City Hall on Monday night, nine councillors voted to call on the Government to abandon plans for the introduction of a national water company, saying the provision of water services must stay under the auspices of local authorities.

Cllr Peter Keane, who put forward the motion, said local authorities were best placed to oversee the service as “all the expertise and knowledge in the area rests locally”.

“This Fine Gael/Labour Government is attempting to make a commodity out of water, which is our most basic human right. The Government are attempting to take this away from us and…nationalisation is followed by privatisation, something that Fianna Fail Galway City Councillors are utterly opposed to,” he said.

“I am delighted that the Labour Party Councillors to a person supported this motion, which now sends a clear message to the Cabinet today that Galway wants no hand act or part of this ill-conceived plan,” he added.

Cllr Keane also commended a recent report from Galway City Council Water Services, which confirmed the results being achieved through a major investment in the Water Conservation Project.

“We are now seeing the benefits of this investment through the installation of 75 new District Meter Areas in Galway City. Through the use of telemetry on the system, vital information can be gathered with regard to the levels of water usage in particular defined areas in the city, information of water quality and, indeed, information on water leaks is much more easily gathered.”