Mayo TD launches online petition against €2m. council chamber/foyer upgrade

Deputy Lawless had formally written to the Public Accounts Committee about the matter

A petition against an upgrade of the chamber and foyer at Mayo County Council’s HQ in Castlebar has been launched by Aontú TD Paul Lawless.

The local authority is proposing to borrow €2.15 million to refurbish its council chamber and foyer.

In his petition, the Mayo TD has called on Mayo County Council to:

* Pause the €2.15 million chamber refurbishment.

* Publish a clear and detailed cost benefit analysis.

* Hold genuine public consultation before any borrowing is approved.

* Prioritise investment in housing delivery, disability-friendly facilities, inclusive disability and sensory playgrounds, and the reduction of commercial rates for local businesses.

The council chamber is used approximately once a month, said Deputy Lawless. And the refurbishment will not provide any additional space or new facilities for staff.

Public money should be invested in projects that genuinely benefit the people of Mayo, he commented.

At a time when families struggle to access housing, when communities are calling for disability-friendly facilities and inclusive sensory playgrounds, and when small businesses are struggling under excessive commercial rates, this proposal reflects the wrong priorities, he stated in his petition.

He added: “No one opposes essential maintenance or accessibility improvements.

“What is being opposed is the scale of the borrowing, the long-term financial commitment, and the absence of meaningful public consultation before signing off on a project of this size.

“Comparable chamber projects elsewhere have seen costs escalate significantly beyond initial projections. Mayo should not repeat that mistake.”

Councillors voted through the chamber refurbishment earlier this month, having long raised issues in terms of sound, ventilation and accessibility, although not everyone was in support, with some questions raised at a time when many people are homeless and struggling.

In a statement issued to the media this evening, Deputy Lawless condemned the proposed €2.15 million refurbishment of the council chamber as 'a vanity project divorced from the reality facing families and businesses across the county'.

The Aontú TD said the proposal exposes a stark and growing inconsistency among councillors from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, who regularly insist there is no alternative to raising local property tax and commercial rates, yet appear remarkably creative when it comes to finding millions for refurbishing their own surroundings.

“When ordinary people are told to accept higher taxes, higher rates, and fewer services, the message is restraint,” Lawless said.

“But when councillors turn their attention inward, restraint suddenly becomes optional. There always seems to be money for the chamber, even when there is none for the people outside it.”

Lawless said the situation is all the more galling given recent history.

When he first raised concerns in 2024 about a projected €700,000 cost, he was accused by government councillors of exaggeration and sensationalism.

“What turned out to be sensational,” he said, “was not the criticism, but the cost itself.”

That figure has now swollen to €2.15 million, rising to more than €3 million when interest is included.

He pointed to the experience of Galway City Council, where an initially modest chamber refurbishment estimate of €200,000 escalated to €450,000 after government councillors rejected calls from independent members for tighter cost scrutiny.

“We are now talking about €2.15 million, a much higher fee even when inflation adjusted for 12 years,” Lawless noted. “What Mayo is being asked to accept is extravagance by comparison.”

Deputy Lawless confirmed that he has formally written to the Public Accounts Committee requesting that Mayo County Council be called before it to answer what cost–benefit analysis, if any, has been put forward to justify borrowing €2.15 million for a council chamber refurbishment.

“This is ivory tower politics,” he said. “Lectures on prudence delivered from plush chambers, paid for by people who cannot get a home, when we could have more disability friendly playgrounds for children, or offer abreak on crushing business rates.”

Deputy Lawless is urging the public to sign the petition opposing the project and to contact their local councillors directly, warning that silence will be taken as consent.

“Councillors will ignore public anger if they think it is fleeting,” he said. “They cannot ignore it if it is organised, vocal, and persistent.”

“Public money should serve public priorities,” Lawless concluded. “Not political comfort.”