There were chaotic scenes in Laois County Council this week as Government parties Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were accused of ‘not wanting transparency’.
The accusation came from Independent Councillor Aisling Moran who, not for the first time, was trying to have a motion passed in the Chamber that would see council meetings live-streamed to the public.
The motion was debated at length, during which time proceedings degenerated into councillors screaming at one another, making political accusations, and even trading personal insults.
Cllr Moran has been consistent in raising the issues of “transparency and accountability” in Laois County Council, continuously raising the streaming issue as well as seeking cost-plans and evaluations surrounding the sale of Council land.
This comes at a time when Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are receiving wide-spread criticism for how public money in several projects has been spent.
The criticism, which has come from the media, opposition politicians and even the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (the State’s fiscal watchdog), comes in relation to the following issues;
- The massive overspend and delay on the Children’s Hospital, which currently stands at €2.2 billion, rising through to its revised completion date of 2026 (the hospital was originally estimated to cost €650 million and was due to be completed in 2020);
- The controversial Bike Shed at Leinster House, which cost €336,000;
- A Security Hut at the entrance to Government Buildings that cost over €1.4 million;
- €9 million being set aside for student Phone Pouches to store mobile phones at secondary schools;
- The cost of Modular Homes being built for Ukrainian refugees rising from the initial projected cost of €200,000 per residential unit to a recently revealed cost of €442,000. This comes at a time when the average cost of a house in Ireland is less than €350,000.
Cllr Moran called for Laois County Council to “facilitate the implementation of live streaming of all public meetings and archiving of same.
“This will encourage more public engagement and facilitate education of what happens in Local Government,” she said.
The motion was strongly opposed by Fine Gael Councillors Wille Aird and John King, Fianna Fáil Councillor John Joe Fennelly, and Independent Councillor Ollie Clooney.
Cllr Aird and Cllr Clooney cited the cost of streaming Council meetings as a major stumbling block to the proposal.
Council Staff projected the set-up cost at an estimated €50,000 and an annual running cost of between €20,000 and €25,000.
Cllr Moran disputed the figures, however, saying the set-up cost would be significantly offset as much of the facilities are already in place.
That is where the meeting began to break down.
The bad feelings had been bubbling under throughout the meeting, with several barbs coming from the Technical Group, each receiving a backlash from the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Councillors.
In reference to the Portarlington Enterprise Centre, Independent Councillor Aidan Mullins said: “We built it for €1.1 million – you’d nearly get three bike sheds for that.”
Fellow Independent Councillor James Kelly also took aim at Government spending, saying the increase in Local Property Tax would not be necessary if not for the “waste of €2.2 billion on this Children’s Hospital – and then you have someone spending over €300,000 on a bicycle shed”.
But the situation escalated during the streaming debate, with over 15 minutes of red-faced shouting, finger pointing and name calling.
A vote was taken on the motion, with Cllr Moran supported by Sinn Féin Councillor Caroline Dwane Stanley, Labour Councillor Marie Tuohy, and Independent Councillors James Kelly and Tommy Mulligan.
Fine Gael Councillors Wille Aird, John King, Barry Walsh and Vivienne Phelan were joined by Independent Councillor Ollie Clooney and Fianna Fáil Councillors Catherine Fitzgerald, John Joe Fennelly, Padraig Fleming and Paddy Bracken in all voting against streaming Council meetings to the public.
The motion was therefore defeated by nine votes to five.
Councillors Conor Bergin, Paschal McEvoy, Seamus McDonald and Aidan Mullins were not present for the vote.
SEE ALSO – Laois to support Occupied Territories Bill opposing ‘Israeli genocide in Palestine’
