Sinn Féin savings proposals sparked row at Tipperary County Council Budget meeting

A push by Sinn Féin to suspend the €40,000 fund Tipperary County Council’s chairperson has discretion to allocate as community grants for two years and halve councillors’ training allowance was greeted with stiff opposition at the authority’s annual Budget Meeting.

The proposals to temporarily shelve the annual Cathaoirleach’s Project Fund and cut the training allowance for councillors from €150,000 to €75,000 was tabled by SF Cllrs Annemarie Ryan and David Dunne as part of a package of budget cuts worth €270,000 they presented to the Council Budget meeting in a bid to reduce the 5.5% rates increase that was ultimately approved by a large majority of councillors.

Their proposed budget cuts that also targeted councillors’ conference allowances and the Council’s civic receptions allowance, prompted sharp exchanges across the Council chamber.

An Independent councillor caused consternation for saying the Cathaoirleach’s Projects Fund looked like a “slush fund” while a Fianna Fáil councillor quoted Shakespeare’s Macbeth in making a jibe as he criticised one proposer of the cost savings.

The row erupted over three hours into the marathon Budget meeting when Cllr Ryan informed councillors she and Cllr Dunne met with the Council’s Head of Finance Mark Connolly and his staff ahead of the Budget Meeting to see what savings could be made to make the Budget more appealing. They had come up with a number of savings suggestions totalling €270,000 in the Budget’s Miscellaneous Services section.

She proposed scrapping the €12,000 food catering allocation for council meetings, scrapping allowances for conferences expenses in Ireland and abroad totalling €48,000 and halving councillors’ training allowance to €75,000.

Cllr Dunne proposed suspending the hosting of civic receptions for two years to save €85,000 per year and also suspending the €40,000 Cathaoirleach’s Projects allowance for two years and reducing Strategic Policy Committees costs by €10,500.
Appeal to ‘look into their hearts’

“I would ask all members to look into their hearts and do the right thing to reduce the rates bill,” he urged.

Independent Cashel Cllr Liam Browne said he didn’t know how the Council could justify the Cathaoirleach’s Projects allowance, which amounted to a spend of €200,000 over the Council’s five-year term. He asked what oversight was in place in relation to the spending of this allowance and what exactly it was spent on?

Workers & Unemployment Action Group Cllr Pat English from Clonmel supported the Sinn Féin councillors’ Budget cuts proposals.

He argued the savings could easily cover the costs for rolling out CCTV schemes in the county and climate action measures.
Thurles-based Independent, Cllr Jim Ryan, also supported Sinn Féin’s savings proposals.

But Fine Gael Cllr Marie Murphy pointed out the benefits the Cathaoirleach’s Projects fund brought to communities.

She explained that when she was Cathaoirleach a few years ago, grants from the fund were allocated to sports clubs, a playground and day care centres and for the purchase of two beds at St Theresa’s Hospital in Clogheen.

Cllr Murphy stressed there was a process to go through to qualify and avail of the grants and all recipients had to prove they were tax compliant.

She argued the €40,000 fund was insignificant in the context of the Council’s overall €248m Budget.

Objections to ‘slush fund’ description

Cllr Browne, however, said he believed the Cathaoirleach’s Projects fund “looks bad”.

“The chairperson, regardless of who it is, is getting to hand out a significant amount of money. It looks like a slush fund.”

This remark was greeted with objections from other councillors but Cllr Dunne backed up Cllr Browne.

“If it looks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's a duck,” he declared.

A very annoyed Cllr Michael Smith rounded on Cllr Dunne.

Quoting Shakespeare, he told the Carrick councillor he was “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” and declared it was a shame the Sinn Féin councillors didn’t engage with the Council director and his staff before proposing these cutbacks.

‘Shame on You’

He bluntly told those who “begrudged” the allocation of funding from the Cathaoirleach’s Projects fund to voluntary associations and clubs in the county: “Shame on you.”

He staunchly defended the funding allocated to the hosting of civic receptions and claimed those seeking to suspend them were happy to shake hands with civic reception recipients and get their pictures taken with them at these functions.

“It’s a privilege we have as a council to bestow them. Shame on you,” he added.

Independent councillors Andy Moloney from Poulmucka and Richie Molloy from Clonmel, meanwhile, spoke out against reducing the training fund for councillors.

Cllr Moloney said he availed of a grant from this allowance to do a course in climate change at UCC, which he believed will benefit him in the drawing up of policy in this area and help his constituents.

Cllr Molloy said the fund had assisted him with the costs of studying for a masters in UCC a few years ago. “I wouldn't have been able to do it without that allowance,” he pointed out.

He recalled the late Clonmel councillor Sean Nyhan telling a young councillor years ago, “It’s great to know everything” when the younger man argued that councillors didn’t need training.

Cllrs Ryan and Dunne corrected Cllr Smith and reiterated that they had engaged with Council staff ahead of the Budget Meeting and also presented their cost saving proposals to other councillors before the meeting.

Cllr Dunne acknowledged the training allowance was very important but pointed out that most courses are now conducted online which saves on travel and other expenses.

He said every year when councillors proposed cost savings they were told they couldn’t take this or that out as the Government won’t allow it. “You might as well not have a budget meeting,” he complained.

Council Meetings Administrator Ger Walsh explained the Cathaoirleach’s Projects fund was in place since South Tipperary County Council’s time.

The Council chairperson has discretion to allocate grants from this fund for capital projects. Beneficiaries range from social and sporting clubs and facilities to community centres.

He said capital works must be completed and paid for before the grant can be drawn down. Invoices and receipts must be submitted to the Council as part of the grant allocation process.

Mr Walsh pointed out the training allowance for councillors was provided for in legislation. The Council was also obliged by legislation to make financial provision for conferences and Strategic Policy Committee allowances.

The Budget cost savings package put forward by Cllrs Ryan and Dunne was referred to the Council’s Economic SPC for consideration.