Policing forum votes again to ban media from meetings

The impasse between the Mayo Local Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) and the local media is set to continue after members of the partnership voted in an anonymous poll to prevent journalists from reporting on its meetings.

Of the 23 members who responded to the secret ballot, 19 voted in favour of the press being excluded, four were opposed and several abstained. A public vote produced a similar result earlier this year.

The Western People understands that the four members in support of opening meetings to journalists were councillors Donna Sheridan (FG), Michael Kilcoyne (Ind), Al McDonnell (FF) and former councillor and retired detective garda Christy Hyland. Recently-elected member councillor Chris Maxwell has confirmed he is also in favour of the meetings being open to the media.

Councillors who voted to exclude the media included chairperson Michael Loftus (FF), Michael Burke (FG) and Alma Gallagher (FG). 

A submission made to the LCSP by four media editors in Mayo – Tom Kelly ( Connaught Telegraph), James Laffey ( Western People), Teresa O’Malley (Midwest Radio) and Michael Duffy ( Mayo News) – appealing against the embargo was not read out or circulated to the members by the chairperson despite a request to do so. When Cllr Sheridan questioned Cllr Loftus' decision, he responded that the local media was "not considered to be part of the partnership". The four editors say they now hope to have their letter read into the public record and debated at the next meeting of Mayo Co Council "in the interest of protecting local democracy and the freedom of the press".