A Westport councillor claims that the overdue report by Mayo County Council on the number of refugees and asylum seekers in Mayo and their impact on critical services, business and tourism in the county, is “flawed and widely inaccurate”.
The report had been sought by elected councillors from council management last July, but was only delivered at the end of last month.
Among the most blatant problems with the report, according to Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn, is that throughout its content it cites the figure of 3,800 asylum seekers and refugees having arrived in county Mayo over the last twelve months, while he claims that according to the latest government statistics - 5,300 refugees and asylum seekers have arrived in Mayo in the 12 months to the end of last month (Oct).
In addition he says the report fails to address the actual numbers of tourist beds lost in the county over the past year due to the accommodation of both refugees and asylum seekers and its direct impact on local businesses.
The demands on local medical, educational and other services due to the surge in our population, is also not addressed in the report, the councillor insists.
He’s been speaking to Midwest News Editor Teresa O’Malley about his frustration with the overdue local authority's report…
Midwest News has contacted Mayo County Council and we are awaiting a response on the matters raised.
