The November monthly meeting of Laois County Council took place this week, with new Chief Executive, Mr Michael Rainey, in the hot seat for the first time since being appointed to the role.
The Councillors raised motions on numerous local issues, including special needs education, Councillor funding, assistance for small businesses, the national grid and recycling.
General Election candidates Aisling Moran (Independent) and Willie Aird (Fine Gael) were not present at the meeting, nor was Labour Councillor Marie Tuohy.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael Councillors Barry Walsh and Vivienne Phelan, along with Sinn Féin Councillor Caroline Dwane Stanley, all joined the meeting remotely.
Cllrs Ben Brennan, Aisling Moran and Tommy Mulligan (Independents)
The three Independent Councillors tabled a joint motion for Laois County Council to call on the Department of Education and it’s Ministers “to take immediate emergency action on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Units provision right across the County of Laois.”
The ministers involved are Fianna Fáil TD, Norma Foley, Minister for Education, and Fine Gael TD, Josepha Madigan, Minister of State at the Department of Education.
Cllr Mulligan was first to speak, saying “I cannot believe we’re here,” before laying the blame solely at the feat of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, who he said were “totally at fault.”
The Independent Councillor went on to ask: “Do they (the Government) think Autism disappears when children leave primary school?” adding, “there is no political will” to deal with these matters.
Cllr Ben Brennan branded the matter “a disgrace,” demanding an answer from Minister Foley.
Cllr Marie Tuohy (Labour)
Continuing on a similar path, Cllr Tuohy asked that the County Council also write to Minister Foley “to request a review of its refusal to grant temporary accommodation to St Francis School in view of the crisis for special school places in Laois”
Cllr Tuohy also requested a letter be sent by the Council to Jack Chambers TD, Minister for Finance, “to introduce urgent measures to assist small and medium size businesses and the self-employed.”
The Labour Councillor said these businesses “are currently going to the wall in record numbers due to punitive costs, overheads, red tape and taxation.”
Cllr Tommy Mulligan (Independent)
One of the two Councillors newly elected to Laois County Council, Cllr Mulligan raised an issue that he described as being about “fairness” in regards to funding awarded to County Councillors.
He called for the Council to “implement a pro-rata system regarding Council discretionary funding” during local election years.
Cllr Mulligan said the current system of funding gives an unfair advantage to incumbent Councillors in election years and asked that guidelines be changed going forward.
Fianna Fáil Councillor Paddy Bracken opposed the motion, while his party colleague, Cllr Paschal McEvoy, warned Cllr Mulligan that he would then fall victim in the future to the new guidelines if passed.
“It’s not about me, it’s about fairness,” Cllr Mulligan replied. The motion was strongly supported by fellow new Councillor, Fine Gael’s Vivienne Phelan.
Cllr Mulligan went on to propose that Re-turn to offer the re-turn recycling scheme to all schools in the County.
“This would be an initiative to reduce waste and an opportunity for schools to raise funds,” he said.
Cllr James Kelly (Independent)
Cllr Kelly called on Laois County Council to request that the National Grid operator, Eirgrid, provide grid and capacity details in Laois.
The Independent Councillor said the Council needed to be furnished with this information as it would “determine the strategy for Invest in Laois moving forward and the creation of jobs in our County.”
Cllr Kelly cited the Local Economic Community Plan, which he said identified Laois as a county that “should be positioned as a destination of choice to live, work, invest and to learn.
“We have the central location, we have the skills and the workforce, we have lower operational costs, we have the infrastructure, and we have in Laois a great work-life balance.
“But in order for us to promote the county, we have to have capacity from Eirgrid.”
