Roscommon County Council has been accused of breaking its link with local communities following a decision to close 3 regional offices to the public.
Following a survey of the role and workload of local council offices, the local authority has stated that their regional offices will be closing to the public in Castlerea, Strokestown and Ballaghadreen.
According to council officials, face to face interaction at local area offices is at an all-time low, with levels no longer justifying keeping a public desk open in the three towns.
The decision has been strongly criticised by local councillors, with the majority calling on the Council Executive to immediately reverse the decision.
Roscommon councillors highlighted that even if the majority of people use online services, there are still many members of the public who rely on face to face consultations.
Pat Garvey from Ballintubber regularly interacted with his local council office in Castlerea, one of those selected for the closure of the public desk.
Speaking Shannonside Northern Sound, Pat says online services won't work for many people like him:
