Priest hits out over ‘neglect’ of his dad

Priest hits out over ‘neglect’ of his dad

12 March 2014

A MISSIONARY priest has spoken of his shock over his elderly father’s ‘neglect’ at the hands of Down Council.

Father Derek Kearney has come home from Africa to nurse his 84 year-old father, Brian, who is recovering from a stroke.

Mr. Kearney is just one of several elderly residents of Griddle Lane outside Ballyalton who are struggling to get their bins to the main road for weekly collection.

Council officials refuse to lift the bins due to concerns over the dangerous surface of the untarmaced lane, but the ratepaying residents feel they have been abandoned by the public authority and have called for a council turnaround.

Fr. Kearney said he is shocked the council has not done more to help his father and his neighbours and says the elderly in Africa, where he has worked for several years, would never be treated in such a way.

“In Africa, communities are very good to their elderly,” he said.

“My dad was in good health until his stroke. He was able to hook the bin onto his car and bring it down to the road but that is just not possible now.

“The road is safe enough for carers, who call four times per day, for septic tank lorries and oil deliveries and yet council officials consider it too dangerous for their staff.

“At the moment I can help out but there must be a long-term solution. At the very least a rates rebate should be offered so residents of this lane can hire a private company to collect the bins for them.

“I feel my father has been neglected and it would be a weight off my mind if this was sorted.

“The council says it is a health and safety issue to lift the bins but if the rubbish is not collected and gathers around the house that will be another concern.”

Bernadette and Tommy Hampton, who have lived at Griddle Lane for 12 years, say they feel the council is being negligent.

Mr. Hampton, who suffers from knee problems and elevated blood pressure, said he struggles to drag his bin to the main road for collection.

“Our civil rights have been taken away from us,” he said.

“This is a huge concern to us.”

Councillor Cadogan Enright, who has been lobbying the council on behalf of residents, said the lane was an ancient right of way, which should be adopted by the Roads Service. If this is done, he said the lane would be upgraded and bins would be collected.

In the meantime, he said the residents should be given a rates rebate so they can pay for their own private collections.

“These people deserve to avail of a normal bin collection service,” he said.

“They are paying regional and local rates and yet have neither a decent road nor a decent bin collection service. This is wrong.”

A spokeswoman for Down Council said Griddle Lane was a private unadopted lane which, having been inspected by council officers, was judged to be in such a state of disrepair as to pose a health and safety risk to council employees, should they attempt to traverse the lane in a council vehicle.

“Council is more than happy to deliver services to the point where this unsafe, unadopted private lane meets the main road and following meetings with residents and discussions with councils, have agreed that services could be delivered directly to the houses on the lane as and when the lane itself is brought up to a standard that does not present a health and safety risk to council employees,” she said.