Bray Urban District Council, in Co Wicklow, has not reversed its decision to withdraw its door-to-door refuse collection service, it announced yesterday.
The council management said it believed a Section Four motion seeking to have the service reinstated, passed by its members at Tuesday night's council meeting, was invalid.
Speaking to The Irish Times yesterday, the Town Clerk, Mr Tom Murphy, said he regretted the confusion which appeared to surround the issue. "The facts are that the legal advice given to the assistant county manager stated that the motion was invalid and the matter of whether to reinstate the bin collection service is due for a debate next Tuesday night."
It is understood that between 3,000 and 5,000 households in the town have signed up for the private service. Council workers who previously operated the bin service are on strike in protest at the council's action.
On Tuesday night an estimated 500 protesters heckled councillors arriving for the meeting, at which only one councillor, Mr Michael Lawlor, voted against the Section Four motion. Mr Pat Vance abstained.
However, speaking on East Coast Radio yesterday, the assistant Wicklow county manager, Mr Hubert Fitzpatrick, said legal advice he had obtained was that "the Section Four motion was null and void" because "it related to the provision of a service of a general nature throughout the town.
"Section Four motions generally relate to very specific instances of performing an individual act, and as this was more of a general nature it would not be covered by the Section Four."
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