Council motion to allow media attend Mayo strategic policy committee meetings

A council committee has received a presentation about the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) at Ireland West Airport.

It's a major happening for the county but nobody outside the room got to hear about it as members of the local media weren't invited to the meeting.

There has been a kickback against the exclusion of the press from Mayo County Council Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) meetings.

A decision was taken last year that each SPC could decide on whether or not to allow the media attend their meetings. Up until that point, the media were always invited to SPCs, but now a number have chosen to exclude them.

Councillor Michael Loftus tabled a motion at a meeting of the local authority requesting that all media be allowed to return to report on all SPCs.

He highlighted how, as a member of the economic, enterprise and development SPC, they had received a presentation on marine strategy for the county and also on the SDZ at Ireland West Airport.

However, no one knows about it apart from the people on the SPC as there was no media there.

The media should be at the meetings, he said. There is so much positive information and they needed to be sending it out.

Councillor Donna Sheridan agreed, saying it promotes discussion. And she couldn't see why they would not be there in the interests of openness and transparency.

Councillor Annie May Reape also voiced her support.