New equipment to be purchased and extra staff recruited to tackle cleanliness issues in Cork city

A Cork city councillor has welcomed that a new power washer and two new staff have been approved by the council to help tackle cleanliness issues in the city.

Fine Gael’s Shane O’Callaghan had proposed that the local authority introduce a new system whereby the city centre is "deep cleaned much more often and at regular intervals".  

Speaking at tonight’s council meeting he said the issue had been raised with him by constituents. 

“The lifeblood of any city is its city centre. If we’re serious about revitalising it, making it cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing is a huge part of that," he added. 

Mr O’Callaghan told The Echo that he was calling for more cleaning of footpaths, roads and buildings, saying: “If you’re in the city early in the morning, the city council workers are there every day and they do a great job, but an emphasis on deep cleaning is needed.

“Making the city more attractive would attract shoppers, attract tourists and make the city a place people like going to and travelling to.” 

Mr O’Callaghan welcomed the response to his motion by the executive, which stated that that council "currently operates a cleaning service in the city centre utilising a street scrubber and power washer unit" and that both units operate daily in the city centre area.

“Cork City Council also carries out a deep cleaning programme each spring which involves contractors working through the night cleaning pavements in the city centre area.

“In addition to the above, we have recently been granted approval for the purchase of a new specialised power washing unit with two new staff which we expect to be operational in February 2025.

“The Cleansing Section is constantly exploring new systems and new ways of optimising their staff and equipment to carry out more deep cleaning within available resources and cleansing staff have been in contact with other local authorities looking at alternative options," the response continued. 

Mr O’Callaghan also added that he welcomes the fact that the council’s new chief executive Valerie O’Sullivan has established a specific area directorate with a particular emphasis on revitalising the city centre.