A Sinn Fein councillor has said in order to understand the need for emergency housing assistance the Meath County Council housing department should gather more detailed demographic information from applicants seeking that assistance. Cllr Helen Meyer said the information should include the number of individuals requesting assistance due to reasons such as relationship breakdown, notices to quit, inability to find rental properties, overcrowding, couch surfing, addiction, domestic violence, house fires and rough sleeping.

She aid this information should be included in the monthly executive report presented to councillors. Officials responded that statistics on the numbers of people in emergency accommodation together with the reasons for presentation are prepared and presented at the quarterly Regional Homeless Forum meetings with details for quarter three and quarter four for 2024.

Quarter one 2025 will be presented at the June Forum meeting and will be made available to councillor after that. A notice of motion presented by Cllr Meyer was agreed.

More information needed on Lyme disease says Meyer

More information is needed on the issue of educating the public  about the dangers of Lyme disease, Sinn Fein Cllr Helene Meyer told a meeting of Meath County Council.
However, her call for the council to install signage in public areas like woods, cycle laths, mountain trails and beaches was turned down. Council officials said that it was not within the transport department’s remit to erect signs on public health – this was a matter for the Hse. The council would support any campaign run by the Hse and would accommodate the erection of signs is required. “A national information or communication campaign by the hse may be more effective at raising public awareness than the placing of signs in rural areas”, they said.