Council paying €2,000 a week for security at unused hospital

Clare County Council is paying a Limerick company just under €2,000 per week to provide security for a semi-derelict 19th century psychiatric hospital building in Ennis.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, it emerged the council has entered into a six-month €48,756 contract with Group 4 Falck Ltd to secure Our Lady's Hospital.

The bill is part of the mounting costs associated with the council's stalled plan to relocate its headquarters to the former psychiatric hospital.

The sprawling complex - which is now a listed building - was opened in 1868, and was then known as the Clare Lunatic Asylum.

Five years ago, the council announced that it was to transform Our Lady's Hospital into a new headquarters after paying €1.14 million for the building and 30 acres of land on the outskirts of Ennis. However, a cost of €32 million was subsequently put on the council for refurbishing the run-down building.

Earlier this year, it emerged that the council has already paid €1.59 million or 140 per cent of the purchase price to consultants relating to the project and is no nearer to realising its plan of making the move to the new headquarters.

Now the new €48,756 contract for security, which is adding to the project's costs, provoked fresh criticism yesterday.

Independent councillor Mr Christy Curtin said there were more pressing needs for the council to spend its resources on, such as developing the infrastructure in west Clare. "The spending of such monies should be looked at very closely and an audit should be carried out."

The council's staff are currently working in cramped accommodation at the existing headquarters, though the council's homeless unit is operating from Our Lady's Hospital.

In response to the security contract, Mr Brian Meaney, Clare Green Party spokesman, said: "This means that the council will spend €100,000 this year on security at Our Lady's. This is money that the council doesn't have. It is dead money, and shows that the council has no concept of value for money of tax-payers' funds."

He added: "A final decision should have been made by the council by now if it wants to proceed with the headquarters project because the taxpayer cannot afford the continued squandering of monies with no return."

However, the contract was yesterday defended by Cllr Pat Daly, who pointed out that the Our Lady's Hospital site has been used as an illegal Traveller halting site in recent times.

Cllr Joe Arkins said the council "was wasting money in protecting an empty building" and that, in the short-term, he does not envisage the council relocating to the Our's Lady's site.