The public service recruitment cap will be waived for two community centres in Galway, allowing the Galway City Council to hire staff for the centres in Knocknacarra and Ballinfoile.
The Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly made the decision last night, following recent meetings with the chief executive of the city council, Brendan McGrath, and others, as well as after a visit to the centre by the minister. The new staff will be used for centre maintenance and marketing. It will also allow bring to an end a situation where the Knocknacarra centre is closed during significant periods of the week, and avoids a similar situation being repeated in Ballinfoile, when it opens.
Galway West Labour TD Derek Nolan has welcomed the development. “These two facilities are fantastic resources for the community,” he said. “It is only right they are both staffed and run properly, so that everyone in the locality can benefit from them. It is vital that communities have good facilities for community cohesion and running different events. The fact the centres will be run and managed by city council means they will continue to operate first and foremost in the public interest.”
