Council’s park depots may be axed – but no jobs will be lost in the move

Cllr Doolan said: “Restructuring is closure by a different name. There has been no consultation with councillors or the community. It will lead to a loss of local-based services. Having a depot in your back yard gives people access to staff and a speedy service.

“This goes back to the de-centralisation in the 1990s, which made services more accountable. Centralisation leads to job losses, and services are not as speedy and responsive.”

A number of local area offices have also closed down in recent years, including Kilmainham, which was joined up with a Liberties office.

Doolan fears further “restructuring” at council resources, such as the Crumlin Village area office.

A spokesperson for Dublin City Council said they are “currently reviewing the overall structure of depot arrangements throughout the whole city with a view to enhancing the level of service for parks and open spaces.”

“ Within this review it is likely that several of the existing depots will be closed. This will not result in any job losses as staff will be re-assigned to other nearby depots.”

There are four staff in Garryowen depot, and another four in the larger Le Fanu Road depot.

The spokesperson con-tinued: “No decision has yet been made on what depots will be closed because this will require intensive negotiations with trade unions over the coming months.

“If the review proposals do impact on Garryowen Road, then staff there would be relocated and there would not be any job losses.”