Prime Time figures refuted

Prime Time figures on Mayo councillors’ interests refuted

Áine Ryan

A PRIME TIME Investigates programme broadcast last week was misleading about the high percentage of County Mayo councillors who influence and are involved in land transactions due to their profession. Detailed analysis by The Mayo News reveals that the 45 per cent figure used by the programme to denote the ratio of county councillors involved in land transactions over the last year was based on a flawed premise.
This percentage was deemed to be the highest in the country, followed closely by Counties Galway and Offaly. The programme claimed that 22 per cent of councillors nationwide were either auctioneers or developing land – which therefore meant that Mayo County Council had, stunningly, twice the national average. 
The programme, entitled Pressure Zone, also made sensationalist allegations about the ability of councillors to pressurise County Council executives to rezone lands. It argued that all over the country development plans were being drawn up that benefit the few, while adversely affecting the masses. Tough new ethics laws (Local Government Act 2001) should have reigned in councillors but they are being flouted, the programme alleged. They cited developments in Gorey, County Wexford, and Ballybay, County Monaghan as examples of such corrupt practises. 
When contacted by The Mayo News, Prime Time researcher James Nix said that the programme had based part of its research criteria on the first question asked of councillors in the Annual Declaration of Interests form. This question relates to ‘Profession, occupation etc relating to dealing in or development of land’.
A councillor must enter information if he or she is involved in: “Any profession, business or occupation in which you are engaged or employed, whether on your own behalf or otherwise, and which relates to dealing in or developing land during the appropriate period.”
Due to County Mayo’s largely rural demographic, it is not surprising that over half of the 31 county councillors (17) are either farmers, part-time farmers, or own agricultural land. On the other hand, it is interesting that eight (25 per cent) work as auctioneers. It is, however, an overstatement to imply that they are thus, as claimed by the programme, in a position to implement the rezoning of their lands on order to make them more valuable.
In summary, the programme states: “What jumps out is just how many councillors are developing land, are auctioneers. This is 22 per cent nationwide and 45 per cent in Mayo, which is the highest.”
Fine Gael’s Cllr Cyril Burke told The Mayo News it was obvious the programme-makers wanted to develop a certain angle and that’s precisely what they did. “You’d swear every councillor in the country was taking back-handers. Of course, you would come under pressure from landowners but I can categorically say that nobody has ever offered me money. Anyway, you would never put your town or area at risk,” said Cllr Burke.
“Neither have I any experience of Council executives being browbeaten or pressurised by councillors to rezone lands or change a plan in the interests of a developer. They are the experts, they know best regarding planning,” he added.
Council Cathaoirelach, Cllr Seamus Weir said if such claims, made in the programme, had any truth, it was deplorable.
“I have no knowledge of such re-zoning practices occurring in Mayo. Maybe if the county had developed more quickly it might have happened,” said Cllr Weir.
However, he did concede he had been pressurised personally before the last Ballina Town Plan was adopted to rezone agricultural land to commercial. “I wouldn’t tolerate such approaches,” he said emphatically.
Newport-based, Cllr Frank Chambers, also an auctioneer, echoed Cllr Weir’s views that since Mayo had effectively missed out on much of the Celtic Tiger boom such pressure from big business to re-zone lands had not been an issue.
“There hasn’t been a situation where competing interests – like in Quarryvale – were targeting a strip of development land. Personally, I have never come across a developer who offered me, or any other councillor, any inducement or financial reward for pushing something forward,” said Cllr Chambers.
“In my electoral area the biggest rezoning was the Westport town and rural plan and we made sure that every side of the town, suitable for development, was included. It benefited up to 100 different people,” he continued.
Council Director of Services, Mr Seamus Granahan confirmed to The Mayo News that he had no direct experience of being pressurised by councillors.
“When we were drawing up our present Development Plan we were constantly reviewing it, the whole issue of zoning was open and fully out in the public domain. The councillors then adopted the plan on our recommendation, with very few changes,” said Mr Granahan. 
In Prime Time’s Pressure Zone it was suggested that ‘it is councillors’ votes and not luck that zones lands’.