NUI Galway Students’ Union has condemned Clare County Council for refusing to process students’ grants unless proof that their household charge has been paid. Clare County Council has confirmed that it has written to third level grant applicants requesting proof that they have paid the household charge. According to the Council, applicants who have paid the household charge will have no unnecessary delay in the payment of their grant.
NUI Galway Students’ Union will picket the offices of Clare County Council this afternoon to highlight the anger and disgust of its students who will be affected by this action.
NUI Galway Students’ Union President Paul Curley said:
“The decision of Clare County Council is a short sighted and ridiculous move that won’t benefit anybody. Students are being held to ransom because the County Council can’t get its house in order to collect a charge that has no connection whatsoever to third level maintenance grants. The payment of third level grants, which have already suffered massive cuts, is already late and this terrible attempt at efficiency is only going to make things worse”
“Students don’t own houses and linking the payment of the household charge to their grants is a cheap shot. It’s on the same level as requesting proof of payment of the Household Charge before dispatching the fire brigade to a house fire. We call on Clare County Council to abandon this badly thought out plan and process students’ grant applications as a priority”
