Councillors could be heading for a legal showdown with city officials after they failed to reach agreement on controversial plans to scrap a scheme which provides free waste collection in Limerick for 1,500 pensioners.
A meeting of councillors and officials, which took place behind close doors yesterday, ended in disagreement after officials refused to back down on plans to axe the bin scheme in January.
The controversy erupted when it emerged that the city council plans to abolish the bin waiver scheme following claims that the scheme was illegal because the refuse collection was privately run and not operated by the local authority.
The council privatised its refuse collection service five years ago but since then it has allocated an annual budget of about €700,000 to help elderly and disadvantaged people who can't pay the full cost.
If the waiver scheme is scrapped, the elderly residents will have to pay the full charge for waste collection while another 2,500 people from disadvantaged areas of Limerick city will also have to pay to have rubbish removed.
Cllr John Gilligan, who attended yesterday's crisis meeting, said officials were still proceeding with plans to scrap the bin waiver scheme from January 2005. He also confirmed that councillors would be exploring all possibilities, including legal and political options, in a bid to ensure the scheme's survival.