Flynn under fire

AUDIT COMMITTEE HAS QUESTIONS TO ANSWER Westport based councillor, Peter Flynn.

• Westport councillor accused of ‘vicious personal vendetta’

• Councillors clash over Greenway scandal apologies

Anton McNulty

A WESTPORT councillor was accused of having a ‘vicious personal vendetta’ against a former senior member of Mayo County Council which is ‘clouding his judgement’.
The comments made against Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn was among a number of extraordinary remarks made at a special meeting of Mayo County Council involving the Westport councillor and Independent Cllr Richard Finn and veteran Fianna FΡil councillor Al McDonnell.
Cllr Finn and Cllr McDonnell are both members of the Mayo County Council Audit Committee and were accused by Cllr Flynn of having a cosy relationship with the executive of Mayo County Council and not asking the difficult questions in relation to its handling of the Great Greenway Scandal.
“I ask our two members of the audit committee, Cllr Al McDonnell and Cllr Richard Finn to apologise on behalf on everyone involved in the lack of governance and oversight and to say this will never happen again. It has been an absolute disgrace for what has been allowed to happen. The people of Mayo has paid a huge price for this collaboration across the board to bury the truth, to bury the fact misdeeds were done,” he told the meeting.

Scathing attacks
The two members offered no apologies and instead launched scathing attacks against Cllr Flynn, with Cllr McDonnell accusing him of having his judgement clouded by a ‘vicious personal vendetta’ against a former senior council member.
“Part of his focus maybe a large part of his focus is attempting to discredit a former senior member of staff of this council,” Cllr McDonnell said. “I am at pains to [get] him to concentrate on the public interest of what he is elected.
“He is opposed to the development of Moorehall not because of the quality of development or the potential associated with it but because of the people who supported it. I can name a number of projects across this county where Cllr Flynn is opposed to because a certain senior member of staff was involved in its promotion.
“That is an unhealthy attitude, and I am asking him to maintain his focus and focus for the purpose of which he is elected and deal with the public interest, and that is not what he is currently doing. That is a view shared and widely accepted on both sides of the house and amongst the general public. The man has great ability if he focuses it on the proper direction and in the public interest,” he said.
He also claimed that Cllr Flynn also had a ‘bee in his bonnet’ after his attempts to be appointed to the audit committee failed, adding: “I think it was a wise decision.”

‘Bulls**t’
Cllr Finn stated he had no intention of apologising and was equally scathing in his attacks on Cllr Flynn. He described the Westport-based councillor’s ‘great ability’ of being a charted accountant as being ‘bulls**t’ and said he had nothing to offer the council since he returned as a councillor in 2019.
“When you walked out of the council sir, you walked out and left the council [in 2014]. I remember you on the day saying you had served your time and had nothing further to offer. The next thing five years later you are back again. I wonder what brought you back?
“We all have our opinions, but when you walked away from the council you left the council in debt to the tune of €15 million. You had nothing to offer, and you are the man who should have the apologies. Then when the job is done, when we have the job done for you, you come back when things are alright again. It is a great world when you can do that,” he said.

‘Difficult questions’
The row erupted after the council was asked to note the annual report of the Mayo County Council Audit Committee report for the year 2022. The report noted the ORIS (Outdoor Recreational Infrastructure Scheme) controversy which saw Mayo County Council having to return over €1 million in funding for Greenway projects in west Mayo following an audit from the Department of Rural and Community Development.
Cllr Flynn said that the audit committee had an extraordinary general meeting on December 13, 2021, to discuss the findings of the department audit. However he said that despite having information the audit committee did not mention it in its audit report to councillors, which was published the following day.
“This emphasises the fact we have a cosy relationship between the audit committee and the executive here in Mayo County Council. The ultimate role of the audit committee is to be the eyes and ears of the councillors, of the employees and general public and this is not what we are paying them to do. We are asking them to ask the difficult questions and ensure full governance in the way we run our affairs,” he said.

‘Cosy politics’
Cllr Finn said that as a member of the audit committee they work to a procedure and claimed that at no point did any councillor raise any concerns with him. However, this was refuted by Cllr Donna Sheridan, who said that a meeting where the greenway scandal was discussed, she asked for the audit committee to prepare a report on the controversy.
Cllr Sheridan added she has no agenda against anyone.
“Cllr McDonnell I hope you understand we are only trying to unveil the truth for the people of this county. We are not trying to put stumbling blocks for projects coming on board, we just want openness and transparency and accountability,” she said.
Cllr Flynn concluded by saying that the audit committee still has questions to answer and he will continue to seek those answers.
“I will not make an apology for asking the tough questions and the job we are supposed to be doing as public reps representing the public interest. It is not for cosy politics and not about keeping the executive happy and getting votes. It is about doing what is best for the people of this county, and I will never apologise for that.”