TD calls for PAC probe into Mayo council's €2.15m chamber refurbishment

Aontú TD Paul Lawless has escalated his opposition to the proposed €2.15 million refurbishment of Mayo County Council's chamber, formally writing to the Public Accounts Committee to request that the council be called before it to account for the expenditure.

Lawless, who first raised concerns about the project in 2024 when the projected cost stood at €700,000, has condemned the proposal as a "vanity project divorced from the reality facing families and businesses across the county."

At the time he raised the alarm, he said government councillors accused him of exaggeration. The cost has since tripled, rising to €2.15 million, or more than €3 million when interest is factored in.

In his letter to the committee, the Knock-based TD asked what cost-benefit analysis, if any, had been put forward to justify borrowing €2.15 million for a chamber refurbishment.

He is calling for council officials to answer those questions publicly.

Lawless has been particularly pointed in his criticism of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors, who he says regularly argue there is no alternative to raising local property tax and commercial rates, yet have shown little reluctance when it comes to spending on their own surroundings.

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

"But when councillors turn their attention inward, restraint suddenly becomes optional."

The Aontú TD drew comparisons with Galway City Council, where an initial chamber refurbishment estimate of €200,000 rose to €450,000 after government councillors resisted calls from independents for tighter cost controls.

He argued that what Mayo is now being asked to approve dwarfs even that figure in real terms.

Lawless said the money could be better spent on disability-friendly playgrounds or relief on commercial rates for struggling businesses, describing the proposal as "ivory tower politics — lectures on prudence delivered from plush chambers, paid for by people who cannot get a home."

He is now urging members of the public to sign the petition opposing the project and to contact their local councillors directly, warning that elected representatives will interpret silence as acceptance.

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