Local Cllr Charlie O’Connor asked for a review on previous bonfire seasons at the April Council meeting, he said “To ask the Chief Executive to present his review of last year’s Halloween Bonfire Season confirming costs involved and if the review has informed his plans for the 2022 Season?”
The review contained the following information supplied by the Council “The clean up of bonfire sites was completed in November 2021, landscape reinstatement at sites where required has taken place in some locations where ground conditions have improved, however these repairs are still outstanding in some locations where the ground remains soft. It is expected that these sites will be addressed later in April. The cost information given previously and copied below does not include the final reinstatement costs which are not known as yet, however these are not expected to increase the total costs in a major way. The measures to be taken in 2022 will be very similar to those taken in recent years, with one addition being the provision of a sum of €20,000 to hold a fireworks display for the benefit of the community this Halloween.”
“A total of 180 bonfire sites were recorded around the County in 2021 and this is a substantial reduction from the 280 sites recorded in 2020. There are a number of factors to which the reduction can be attributed and these include the vigilance and efforts taken by local residents to prevent bonfires in their areas. The Council held meetings with Kilnamanagh Neighbourhood Watch as well as residents from Aylesbury and Tymon North this year in advance of Halloween to coordinate the efforts of the residents, the Council and the Gardai in identifying and removing material stockpiles and minimising the impact of bonfires on those areas. A meeting was also held with Clondalkin area elected members on the same matter. The pre-Halloween collections of the Council show an increase from 2020 in materials intercepted before Halloween with Council crews out collecting material on 13 of the 14 days prior to Halloween. It is also quite likely that the weather helped to reduce the number of bonfires held this year also.”
“The tonnage collected before Halloween in 2020 was 237 tonnes however this increased to 332 tonnes in 2021. Public Realm crews collected 70 tonnes of bonfire material on Halloween weekend itself in 2021 and 33 tonnes of material on the bank holiday weekend prior to Halloween. The tonnage removed from bonfire sites after Halloween has reduced which is consistent with the number of fires held, this figure was 355 tonnes in 2020 and this has decreased to 276 in 2021. The overall tonnage has increased slightly from 592 tonnes in 2020 to 608 tonnes in 2021. The overall cost shows a slight increase also however the final figure is estimated at present.”
