Scrooge-like CEO is acting as if Troika were still in Ireland, say councillors

A Westport councillor has claimed that funding from Mayo County Council is being managed under Troika bailout rules, as though the country was still on its knees.

Fine Gael Cllr Peter Flynn made the claims at a meeting of Westport-Belmullet municipal district last week during a discussion on capital projects. 

“Our hands are absolutely tied, particularly for the municipal district, between being understaffed, under-resourced and under-funded. It is dire straits for staff trying to deal with it and also for us as councillors trying to deal with engineers [because] they also have their hands tied."

Cllr Flynn said the issue of funding in the district was "shameful", citing as an example a figure of €26,000 for estate management and €36,000 for maintenance of council houses over the next four months for the entire Westport-Belmullet district. 

"In Westport alone, there are 200 council houses. Any sort of work on a house and you are into five figures."

Cllr Flynn said the rules being imposed by council chief executive Kevin Kelly are similar to the ones that existed in Ireland in the early 2010s during the EU-IMF bailout.

"Please tell me what is going on," he said. "The Exchequer funding has a massive surplus but here, Mayo County Council is playing like it was 2010 and the country on its knees. We are operating under the Troika rules, and I am sorry to say, that ‘Doctor No’ is now the title for our chief executive and that is not something I take pleasure in saying. It is not fair to council staff, us as councillors and the public and it cannot be allowed to continue.” 

Independent Cllr John O’Malley said people in rural areas are suffering due to a lack of council funding for roads. 

"They are paying their property taxes but then they don’t get footpaths or lights. Surely they are entitled to a good road to their home? Some roads I have gone into would knock the teeth out of your head. What is the Government giving to people in rural areas who are paying water and sewerage fees and property tax and motor tax and insurance on their cars? What are they getting for it? More money is going to have to come down from central government for our roads.” 

Cllr Christy Hyland wondered why people in rural Ireland pay property tax.

"They are not too demanding in return. All they want is the potholes fixed and their hedges cut. I can see it going where the people in rural Ireland in future will refuse to pay it and there are murmurings out there at the moment because they are not getting the services. In urban centres they get lighting, water, sewerage, but all group schemes in rural areas are run by volunteers who have to step up and do repairs. This form of local government is not working. It’s back to the drawing board."

He said the old town council system was "way better", adding that Westport is now "looking tired" and "not getting the attention."

To a query from Cllr Paul McNamara as to how the system was not working, Cllr Hyland responded: “Because there’s no money. The CEO won’t spend nothing, God forbid. He’s a nice man, but he’s a pure scrooge.”