Laois councillors show little sympathy for each other over long-held tradition

WHILE it’s a long-held tradition for councillors to express votes of sympathies ahead of council meetings, several councillors at their September monthly meeting questioned the protocol around them.

While cllr Tommy Mulligan said he appreciates votes of sympathies being expressed for council staff or council members, he said: “I don’t think we can be naming everyone who died across the county.” In reply to the question posed, the director of services Donal Brennan said there was no protocol around expressions of sympathies during meetings, that it was a matter for councillors to decide themselves.

Cllr Aisling Moran said councillors had previously agreed that the names of those whose votes of sympathies were to be made would be submitted before meetings commenced and not during meetings.

She said: “In fact we were told, that unless something is on the agenda we are not allowed to speak about it.

“And yet if you look back over the minutes of every meeting there’s a page full of condolences. I do think that if we have rules, we should stick with them.” Cllr Ben Brennan disagreed with cllr Moran.

He said: “A person could die two days before our meeting. Are we not allowed to bring it up? I don’t even think that this matter should be discussed.” Cathaoirleach of the council cllr Barry Walsh said the issue should be brought before the Corporate Policy Group (CPG), the committee that develops policy for the council.

“Five minutes it’s all it takes at any meeting. We’ll be talking here all day, non-stop, and if we can’t donate five minutes to people that we know, it’d be disgraceful,” said cllr Paddy Bracken.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley agreed the matter should be referred to the CPG.

She said: “I feel there should be an allowance made for people in our communities that pass away within a couple of days before our meetings. We know the CPG meet the week before our council meetings. It should be allowed. Five minutes, that’s all it takes.” Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald said that messages of condolences that were aired at council meetings are sent to the deceased families on behalf of Laois County Council and not from an Individual councillor.

Cllr Moran said that it was agreed that notices of deceased would be submitted ahead of meetings “and that if somebody passed away within a day or two or the morning of a meeting, it would be submitted to the Cathaoirleach, and he would read it out on behalf of the entire council.” “As a member of the CPG,” said cllr Bracken, “I certainly agree with what we have being doing up to now. The majority of members agree with it and how it operates and the moment and it should be maintained this way. We don’t have to go back to the CPG for its opinion. Let every councillor here express their opinion on it.” Cathaoirleach Walsh said because the matter wasn’t on the agenda of the meeting, it couldn’t be discussed.