Council executive slammed for ignoring councillors

Council executive slammed for ignoring councillors’ demands


Edwin McGreal

The executive of Mayo County Council has been accused of ignoring councillors’ demands for a meeting venue and a chain of office.
That was the adamant view of Cllr Michael Kilcoyne (Independent) when the issues of a chain of office for the Castlebar Municipal District and a home for council meetings arose at last Wednesday’s September meeting.
Cllr Kilcoyne said the councillors had made their wishes clear on these matters but argued the council was ignoring them. He vowed to ‘get a Section 140 order’, an order forcing the council executive to comply with the decision of councillors.

Vexed at venue
Unhappy with the Castlebar Municipal District meeting venue, Cllr Kilcoyne said it was unsuitable for members of the public.
“The public are being treated by the executive of this council as if they don’t exist. Members of the public who wanted to attend this meeting had to go out and get their own chairs. The people of Westport, Ballina and Claremorris are not being treated like this,” he fumed.
Cllr Kilcoyne said that the meeting’s venue – the IT Meeting Room on the first floor of the Regional Training Centre at Áras an Chontae in Castlebar – was ‘appalling’ and that the ‘public know they’re not wanted here’.
Agreeing with Cllr Kilcoyne, Cllr Blackie Gavin (Fianna FΡil) said if the councillors had to ‘stand outside Áras an Chontae with placards to get national attention’, they would.

Chain of office
With regard to the issue of the chain of office for the new Municipal District, Cllr Al McDonnell (Fianna FΡil), the Chairman of the Castlebar Municipal District of Mayo County Council, said there had been ‘a significant amount of communication’ towards the council executive on the matter.
He said he was ‘very disappointed’ with the lack of ‘a real response’, that moves by councillors to get a chain of office ‘appear to be resisted’, and that he was ‘extremely disappointed that the democratic wishes of this council were not being acted upon’.
Area Manager Paddy Mahon said the issue of a chain of office for each of the four municipal districts in Mayo ‘is being considered’ to which Cllr McDonnell said ‘it shouldn’t take two months’.
Mr Mahon said he had hoped there would have been improvements carried out to the room where the meeting took place.
Cllr Kilcoyne asked whether Mr Mahon accepted the venue’s unsuitability.
Mr Mahon said that while he accepts the view, he ‘would not necessarily agree’ and that the venue’s suitability was ‘a subjective matter’.
Cllr Frank Durcan (Independent) said: “Do you not accept we’re the bosses and you are an employee and you do what we tell you?”
“I have a clear understanding of my role,” Mr Mahon replied.
Cllr Kilcoyne suggested that meetings take place in Marsh House, where the old Castlebar Town Council meetings took place, adding that accessibility issues there could be rectified very quickly.