Murray says Fine Gael unwilling to discuss county budget

Murray says Fine Gael unwilling to discuss county budget


Trevor Quinn

Sinn Féin councillor Gerry Murray has criticised Mayo County Council’s budget meeting, which was held in Castlebar last Friday, January 6, saying there was not enough time given to scrutinise the proposals for 2012.
Speaking to The Mayo News yesterday, the Charlestown representative said: “The normal procedure at a budget meeting is the County Manager gives a preamble and then a spokesperson from each party is given an opportunity to respond. However, we didn’t get a chance to scrutinise it or examine it”.
He stated that Fine Gael were just implementing Fianna FΡil’s budget, a move that he characterised as ‘extraordinary’.
Cllr Murray said that during the budget meeting, six directors of services spoke in succession after the county manager. “The ordinary members didn’t get an opportunity to talk until half three, and by then some of the press had left. It was obvious that they didn’t want to put it to much scrutiny”.
He added, “The county manager spoke and we already knew what the figures were. Then six SPC chairs spoke about their budgets. It seemed to me to be an attempt to keep talking and talking until the press were gone.”

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