Towns across County Galway are to be stripped of their Community Welfare Offices which are to be reduced to just a few locations, a move that has attracted condemnation from Independent politicians.
The CWO service is expected to change on Tuesday October 1. From that date, the 40 offices in Galway County, including places like Moycullen, An Spidéal, An Cheathrú Rua, Headford, Turloughmore, Oranmore, Mervue, and Athenry will be closed and the service reduced to just four clinics - Clifden, Gort, Loughrea, and Tuam.
It is also understood that those applying for an emergency social welfare payment must go to the Department of Social Protection Offices in St Augustine Street in Galway city, while those applying for rent supplement, mortgage supplement, or exceptional needs payments must go to the Revenue Commissioners Building at the Fairgreen.
Community Welfare Offices mainly provided emergency payments to individuals under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme. They also dealt with applications for rent supplement, mortgage interest supplement, diet and heating supplements, and exceptional needs payments, such as funerals.
The move has been condemned by Independent TD Noel Grealish and Independent councillors Tim Broderick and Thomas Welby.
Dep Grealish said centralising the system would make it “more difficult for people to apply for social welfare supports”, “add to the stress and anxiety of people who need to apply”, and lead to “a lack of understanding of where to go to apply for different payments”.
He also said the move was “further proof of this Government’s anti-rural stance”.
Councillors Broderick and Welby are calling on all Government TDs and councillors in Galway East and West to “immediately compel” the Minister of Social Protection Joan Burton to abandon centralising of the Community Welfare Offices into just four locations.
“This is a serious reduction in the existing service and it will hugely impact on the customers, particularly those in extreme rural areas,” said Cllr Welby.
Cllr Broderick described it as an “extremely retrograde step in the wind down of an essential service” and said it is being driven by a Department “that is becoming more removed from the very people that they need to protect
