Priest jubiliant after bin battle win for father

Priest jubiliant after bin battle win for father

18 February 2015

A MISSIONARY priest has helped his elderly father win a ground-breaking battle against Down Council.

Fr. Derek Kearney has secured a regular bin collection for his 85 year-old dad Brian, who he cares for following a stroke.

Down Council has agreed to ensure the elderly man’s bin is collected from a lane outside his Ballyalton home, following a year long campaign fought by Fr. Kearney with the help of local politicians and the Commission for Older People, in its first local case.

Down Council had previously refused to collect Mr. Kearney’s bin due to concerns about the health and safety of its employees.

At that time a council spokeswoman said Griddle Lane was a private unadopted lane which was judged to be in such a state of disrepair as to pose a risk to council employees in a council vehicle.

Refusing to come to Mr. Kearney’s home, near the top of the lane, a council spokeswoman instead offered to collect the bin from the main road.

Now, in an about-turn the council has arranged for independent contractor, MacNabbs, to collect Mr. Kearney’s bin.

Fr. Kearney was shocked that the council would not do more to help his father, who he described as an independent, strong man until his stroke in 2013.

He was he was particularly upset to compare his father’s treatment to the treatment of the elderly in Africa where he worked for many years. In Africa, he said, communities cared greatly for their elderly.

“My dad was in good health until his stroke,” he said. “He was able to hook his bin onto his car and bring it down to the road.

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

Mr. Kearney secured the backing of local councillor Cadogan Enright, Assemblyman John McCallister and the Commission for Older People, who fought on his dad’s behalf.

Although he said he was grateful Down Council had finally “seen the light”, he was concerned it had taken over a year and involved such considerable effort.

“I am very grateful to Evelyn Hoy, the Commissioner for Older People, for her consistent interest in this case,” he said.

“I am also concerned that other local elderly and vulnerable people might not have the same level of support and would call on all new councillors in the new ‘Supercouncil’ to ensure protection for elderly or infirm people is built into the ethos of the new council.”

Mr. McCallister said it had become clear during the campaign that other people from the district have their bins collected in similar circumstances.

“There appeared to be an inconsistency in the councils approach that needed to be addressed,” he said.

Councillor Cadogan Enright said he was grateful Mr. McAllister and the Commission for Older People had become involved.

“It was always clear that it was not sufficient for council officers to baldly state that an elderly and infirm person should be deprived of services because of the state of a road accessing their house without doing something practical to solve the problem,” he said.

“Local recycling company MacNabbs will now collect Mr. Kearney’s bin fortnightly and it is open for other local elderly or disabled residents at Sleabhnagriddle to apply for the same facility.”