A domestic violence survivor, (who cannot be named publicly, due to court-ordered reporting restrictions), is suing Tipperary County Council over its housing policy. The female claims she was denied social housing after leaving her home and has now been granted leave to bring judicial review proceedings against Tipperary County Council.
The woman was forced to leave her former local authority home, before entered a domestic violence refuge. She now remains homeless, residing in emergency Bed and breakfast accommodation. Having sought social housing under her own name and having explained her situation, the council required her to surrender her joint tenancy, before it would consider her new application for housing supports.
The applicant claims to have complied with Tipperary Co. Councils instructions, but was excluded from consideration for social housing for one year, on the grounds that she had voluntarily surrendered her tenancy. The woman’s legal team argue that the surrender in this case was not voluntary and that the council’s decision now breaches administrative and human rights law, which in turn amounts to an unlawful fettering of its discretion, through the application of an inflexible policy to all victims of domestic violence.
The legal team, representing the woman in the High Court on Tuesday morning last (November 26th, 2024) sought and were granted leave for a judicial review by High Court Justice Mr Garrett Simons, who stated that the applicant appeared to have been placed in a ‘Catch-22’ situation.
Thurles Gardaí are seeking witnesses, following a road traffic collision in Thurles, Co. Tipperary on Saturday evening last. Gardaí and emergency services were called to the scene of the collision, which occurred on Friar Street, involving a car and a male pedestrian, just after 7:00pm. Friar Street, west of Liberty Square, in Thurles was immediately cordoned off, for a period of time, to allow for the emergency services to fully respond.
Friar Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary at 5:00pm this evening. Pic: G. Willoughby
The pedestrian was taken immediately to Tipperary University Hospital and is understood, thankfully, to have sustained non-life threatening injuries.
While not necessarily contributing to this collision; Friar Street in Thurles town is regarded by many local residents as being poorly illuminated, once the surrounding local businesses close their places of trading each evening.
Gardaí are particularly interested in making contact with witnesses with who may have dash cam or other video footage, same taken from during or around the time of the collision. Gardaí can be contacted at Thurles Garda station, Tel: 0504 25100.
Gardaí in Thurles, Co. Tipperary are investigating all the circumstances, following the discovery of a body on Friday morning last, November 22nd, 2024.
Approximate area North of St Mary’s Church, Thurles, where the body was located. Pic. G. Willoughby.
The body of the man, aged in his 40s, we understand was located at approximately 8:40am in a private dead-end, lane way, off Ikerrin Road (formerly Limekiln Road), close to the junction with Mitchel Street (known formerly as Quarry Street), in Thurles town.
The body of the man was removed from the scene to the mortuary at University Hospital Limerick, where a post-mortem examination has since taken place, the results of which are not being released for operational reasons.
A file will now be prepared for the Coroner’s office.
In total seven sites have been identified as National Priorities for enforcement by the EPA in Q3 2024.
Seven Sites were identified as National Priority Sites in Q3 2024; three were from the Food & Drink Sector, two from the Intensive Agriculture Sector, one from the Waste Sector and one from the Anaerobic Digestion Sector.
The most common issues identified at these sites were non-compliant discharges to water and facility management.
A site’s presence on the National Priority Sites List indicates a poor level of licence compliance.
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) published its National Priority Sites list for quarter three, 2024. The National Priority Sites (NPS) System is a system of performance-based indicators to rank industrial and waste licensed sites in order of priority for enforcement. This allows the EPA to target its enforcement effort at the licensed operators with the poorest environmental performance.
Commenting on the publication, Dr. Tom Ryan, Director, EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “Our enforcement activities are risk based and we prioritise sites that are not complying with their licence. As noted in the EPA’s recent State of the Environment Report, a disproportionate number of sites on the National Priority Sites list have been from the dairy processing and waste sectors. This trend continued in Quarter 3 2024. The seven sites on the current list will be the subject of targeted enforcement action to ensure that the environmental issues are addressed, and compliance is restored.”
MsPamela McDonnell, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Industrial Licence Enforcement Programme said: “Three of the sites on the National Priority Sites List, North Cork Co-Op Creameries Limited, Tipperary Co-operative Creamery Limited, and Aurivo Consumer Foods Limited, are milk processing sites. Each of these has featured on the National Priority Sites List previously. Milk and milk effluent pose a significant risk to local streams and rivers if it is not carefully managed. The dairy sector must prioritise investment in environmental controls to prevent the discharge of polluting material. This remains a priority issue for the EPA”.
Other sites on the National Priority Sites list also pose a risk to water quality. The waste sites on the list include a non-hazardous waste transfer station and an anaerobic digestion facility. Both sites failed to provide sufficient infrastructure to protect groundwater and surface water.
Similarly, at the two intensive agriculture sites on the list, poor management of waste and storm water increased the risk of contaminated discharges.
The list of National Priority Sites for Q3 2024 is in Table 1 below:
The North Tipperary/East Clare Community Engagement area has a new Community Policing Unit.
New Community Policing Unit.
Meet the 7 Gardaí from the new Community Policing Unit for North Tipperary/East Clare Community Engagement area.
They will be stationed at Killaloe, Newport, Nenagh, and Roscrea Garda Stations, ensuring a consistent and accessible Garda presence.
Members of the Community Policing Unit will work a structured roster, in line with the Midlands Working Time Agreement 2024, to maximize visibility and engagement opportunities with the public, attending community meetings and maintaining a proactive presence in local schools.
Key objectives for the Community Policing Unit will include addressing crime and anti-social behaviour through problem-solving initiatives developed in partnership with local communities and agencies. Targeted enforcement, as well as focused crime prevention and reduction strategies, will be central to the Unit’s approach, thus supporting a safer and more secure environment for all residents.
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