A busy term ahead for the newly elected in the Nenagh electoral area

With elections in the Nenagh LEA now officially over, the newly-elected council will soon be back on duty, meeting with the local electorate and taking on their issues.

When his election was officially confirmed, one of the first things that Cllr Seamus Morris said was: “I’m glad to just have this over with so I can get back to the tasks that I’ve been working on.”

“I am in the middle of a few big projects and I’m glad to be able to now see them through.”

The other re-elected councillors will likely share similar sentiments. They are all too familiar with the facts that just because an election is happening, it does not mean the problems of the electorate are put on hold.

Of course, the newly-elected councillors will have to take some time to find their feet and get used to the mechanisms of their new roles. However, both Cllr Ryan O’Meara and Cllr Louise Morgan Walsh have already alluded to some of the issues they plan to tackle first.

Cllr Ryan O’Meara said: “Housing is obviously the big issue, but there are others like the provision of basic services at council level that we need to address.”

“I don’t ever want to be the type of politician who only points out what’s wrong. I want to provide solutions and make a real difference in the Neagh-Borrisokane-Lower Ormond area.”

On her own ambitions, Cllr Louise Morgan Walsh said: “I want to work on developing better services for the residents of Nenagh and the Lower Ormond Area such as the accreditation of Nenagh town as an Autism Friendly Town and advocate in the areas of climate change, health, economic development and community engagement.”

“I want to ensure that our community views are heard on issues that directly affect them.”

The people of the Nenagh LEA will be expecting and hoping for a lot now that the elections are over.

The situation whereby the Government is still planning to not open St Conlon’s nursing home is still ongoing . It was a key issue discussed by most candidates in the lead up to the election and will be an area that they will be expected to answer for.

The reopening of the local Emergency Department in Nenagh Hospital was another popular topic on the campaign trail. With Cllr Morgan Walsh’s background in healthcare and first-hand dealing with the situation, it seems likely that these concerns might fall to her to take a lead on. Although, it’s certainly not the easiest area to tackle for a first-time councillor.

Both Cllr Morris and Cllr Morgan Walsh have specifically addressed a need for more attention on the autism community, so this will be another area where work will need to be picked up straight away.

Prior to the election, a number of parents had voiced concerns around places for their children in ASD units in the county. With Summer holidays now here or on the horizon, this will be an ideal time for councillors to focus on the issue and get a head start before the next school year.

On a national and global level, immigration continues to be a top concern around the country.

The wars in Gaza and Ukraine march on and the housing crisis seems to have no end in sight. Some councillors may choose to stick to local concerns but with new voices on the council it will be interesting to see how much air time these issues get.

Cllr Michael O’Meara recently spoke out on how the intake of refugees should be handled by making an example of the process in Borrisokane.

“When you look at those people that were brought in to Borrisokane, absolutely very much integrated into the local community.

“They are a part of the soccer team, athletics team, I see the kids going up and down to school there, they have their own little friends going to school and that.”

“It’s a jewel in the crown of how it should be done but unfortunately the people in the country have no confidence in what’s happening at the moment and that’s the problem we have and it’s down to a lack of transparency.”

Unfortunately, mere days after Cllr O’Meara said this, it was announced that these same refugees were being moved causing somewhat of an uproar in the local community due to the abrupt way in which this announcement was made.

There is no shortage of issues in the Nenagh LEA and with councillors on the mind and in the headlines right now, people will be eager to get in early and have their problems dealt with.

Whether it relates to housing, planning, roads, community funds, the arts and culture or anything else within the councils remit, the councillors are sure to have their work cut out for them.