Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have struck a deal which will see them control Laois County Council once again for the next five years.
This will be a similar arrangement to what has been in place since the 2014 election.
Fianna Fail won six seats at the Local Elections in June – with Paschal McEvoy, Padraig Fleming, John Joe Fennelly, Catherine Fitzgerald, Paddy Bracken and Seamus McDonald all returned.
While Fine Gael returned five – Conor Bergin, John King, Willie Aird, Barry Walsh and Vivienne Phelan – with PJ Kelly and Thomasina Connell losing their seats.
Cllr Ollie Clooney, a former Fine Gael member, voted with the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael alliance for the last five years and is expected to do so again.
That would give them 12 votes while the ‘technical group’ would only have seven.
That should include Independents Aisling Moran, Ben Brennan, James Kelly and presumably Tommy Mulligan – plus Sinn Fein’s Caroline Dwane-Stanley and Aidan Mullins and Labour’s Marie Tuohy.
LaoisToday understands that over the five year term, Fianna Fail will have the chairmanship three times and Fine Gael will have it twice – this is worth an extra €10,000 to whoever has it each year.
It is believed that Fianna Fail’s Padraig Fleming will be Cathaoirleach first – a role he last held in 2017.
The Council AGM is scheduled for 2pm on Friday where other key positions will be decided upon.
