Cllr vents frustration with council over people left sleeping on streets as Storm Kathleen moves in

As a status yellow weather warning is activated, four people are sleeping rough in Meath this weekend according to Cllr Alan Lawes who has appealed to Meath County Council to find emergency accommodation for them for the weekend.

In an email to Meath County Council sent on Friday (yesterday) the independent councillor outlined four cases of people he has made representations for who have been homeless and on the streets for a number of weeks and pleaded with the council to find accommodation for them before its office closes for the weekend and before Storm Kathleen hits.

Cllr Lawes said that he knew of another man also sleeping rough, who was working with another councillor.

"If the system was working correctly, people in touch with the council wouldn't end up contacting me. But in a situation where they have contacted the council and are getting nowhere, they come to myself and I make representations. They are going through the proper channels but they don't work. If they were working correctly, it should be only in exceptional circumstances where they come to us.

"The time in question with the majority of these cases is much too long. "

Cllr Lawes claimed that one of the men is staying in a derelict house, one young woman is walking the streets and the others are sleeping rough.

On Wednesday, Cllr Lawes said out of frustration he posted a video with a homeless man he has been working with who he said had been homeless for two months. He made the video as he went into the council offices with the man. Cllr Lawes said he took the video down yesterday in good faith that Meath Co Council would do their best to accommodate him.

However, as of Friday evening, Cllr Lawes said the man was still on the streets and that a possible offer of a place in Harpur House in Drogheda three weeks ago has still not been confirmed.

Meath County Council has been contacted for comment.