Councillors told again not to discuss planning matters at their meetings

CASTLEBAR area councillors are determined that discussions on planning matters will be put back on their agendas.

Planning debates were disallowed a few years ago at local authority meetings. However, more recently, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in the Dáil that councillors could and should debate planning, with members of Castlebar Municipal District taking him at his word, voting to put it back on the agenda.

A motion was passed and sent off but councillors have now received written ministerial confirmation that the old circular stays: no talking about planning.

A disappointed Councillor Michael Kilcoyne said the reply was very clear - you can’t discuss planning at local authority meetings, which affects the people who elected them.

Councillor Al McDonnell said the Taoiseach was on the Dáil record as saying it was in order for them to discuss live planning matters and as far as he was concerned they did not require any additional confirmation.

Councillor Cyril Burke said he too intended to discuss planning. It was a matter of public interest. There was no harm having checks and balances.

However, Councillor Kilcoyne said the letter stated that if elected members did decide to discuss something, the officials could not be present. The manager would have to disappear and you couldn’t try to influence them.

Agreeing the matter should be on the agenda, Councillor Donna Sheridan made the point that the letter stated that planning ‘should not’ be discussed. It did not say ‘must not’. It did not preclude them putting it on the agenda until they were told differently.

A bitterly disappointed Councillor Blackie Gavin said there were developments going on and councillors didn’t know anything about them.

Head of the municipal district Iarla Moran said he had not seen the circular referred to. He needed to look at that and consider what was being said before he could come back on it.