Minutes 2018

Minutes of Special Meeting of Sligo County Council (Address to the Council by Prospective Presidential Candidates) held on Wednesday, 12th September, 2018 at 10 am in The Council Chamber, County Hall, Riverside, Sligo


MEMBERS PRESENT:

  • Councillor Baker,
  • Councillor Bree,
  • Councillor Casserly,
  • Councillor Clarke,
  • Councillor Gormley,
  • Councillor Healy,
  • Councillor Henry,
  • Councillor Keaney,
  • Councillor Kilgannon,
  • Councillor Lundy,
  • Councillor MacManus,
  • Councillor MacSharry,
  • Councillor Maguire,
  • Councillor Mulvey,
  • Councillor O’Boyle,
  • Councillor O’Grady,
  • Councillor Queenan,
  • Councillor Taylor.

 

CATHAOIRLEACH:

  • Cathaoirleach, Councillor M. Baker presided

 

OFFICIALS IN ATTENDANCE:

  • Mr. Ciarán Hayes, Chief Executive
  • Mr. John Moran, Senior Executive Officer
  • Mr. Kevin Colreavy, Meetings Administrator
  • Ms. Jo-Anne McGonigle,Assistant Staff Officer.

 

PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEES ADDRESS THE COUNCIL:

Mr. Moran outlined the legislation and process in relation to a local authority nomination for the Presidential Election.  It was noted that Polling Day is Friday, 26th October.  The deadline for receipt of nominations by the Presidential Returning Officer is the 26th September.

The Cathaoirleach advised those present that candidates would address the meeting in the following order:

  • Peter Casey
  • Sean Gallagher
  • Patrick Feeney
  • John Groarke
  • Kevin Sharkey
  • Gemma O’Doherty and
  • Sarah Louise Mulligan.

Following the presentations, there would be a questions and answers session.

A request was submitted that Mr. Gallagher would be permitted to take any questions following his presentation as he had to attend another engagement.  This request was agreed by the Cathaoirleach and Members.

The Candidates then addressed the Meeting and responded to questions from Members.

 

RECORDING OF PROCEEDINGS:

As some people in the public gallery appeared to be recording the meeting, they were requested by the Cathaoirleach to cease doing so.  The recording of the proceedings contravenes item 54 of Sligo County Council’s Standing Orders:

54.  While the Council may make arrangements for the broadcasting or webcasting of its meetings, no external recording, broadcasting or photography arrangements will be facilitated without the prior approval of the Council.

The Cathaoirleach had relayed that message to those involved, however, they continued to do so.  Councillor Keaney further requested that any recordings taken would not be circulated on social media.

Councillor Clarke noted that several notices of motion had been submitted by the Elected Members to live stream Council meetings.  To date, the costs had been prohibitive and funds were not available to install the necessary equipment.  The media attended Council meetings and reported on the proceedings of all County Council and Municipal District meetings.

 

SPECIAL MEETING TO CONSIDER NOMINATION:

The Cathaoirleach thanked the Candidates for their attendance and wished them well.

A Special Meeting was arranged to take place at 9.00 a.m. on Monday, 24th September, 2018 to consider nominations submitted by Council members.

 

CLOSURE OF RURAL POST OFFICES:

This item was deferred until the October ordinary meeting

“This council:

  1. Is deeply concerned of the imminent threat of closure of up to 390 Post Offices throughout the country and the threat to the long-term future of the remaining 690 Post Offices.  
  2. Believes Believing the decision as to whether a community has a Post Office or not, should not hinge on a Postmaster wishing to retire.  
  3. Recognises there is an alternative and superior solution to the Post Office issue available to An Post and to Government in the form of the Kiwi (Post) Bank model that was established in New Zealand in 2002, and now has 20% of the banking market and 25% of all banking customers in New Zealand.  It has been described as a phenomenal success having made over $7m profit in its third year of operation and nowadays posts annual profits of circa $100m.
  4. Supports the Dáil Private Members Motion of 11th November, 2016 – The Dáil Motion of the 11th November, 2016, passed by the Dáil – 158 Votes (no Amendments)

 “Calls on the Government to:

  • Implement a new community banking service operated by An Post to be made available in all post offices throughout the country; this post community bank could be based on either the New Zealand Kiwibank model or the German Sparkassen model, both of which have been found to be valid models;”

Therefore, this Council calls on Government to,

  1. Enact ‘Private Members Dáil Motion of the 11th November, 2016’
  2. Postpone the closure of Post Offices while the Kiwi Post Bank model for the Irish Post Office network is developed.

The results of this Council motion to be promptly conveyed to the Minister for Communications, Climate action and Environment and Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, Chair of Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment”.

 

Proposed by Councillor D. Bree
Seconded by Councillor G. O’Boyle

AND UNANIMOUSLY AGREED:

“That this council:

  1. Deeply concerned with the imminent threat of closure of up to 390 Post Offices throughout the country and the threat to the long-term future of the remaining 690 Post Offices.
  2. Believing the decision as to whether a community has a Post Office or not, should not hinge on a Postmaster wishing to retire.
  3. Recognising there is an alternative and superior solution to the Post Office issue available to An Post and to Government in the form of the Kiwi (Post) Bank model that was established in New Zealand in 2002, and now has 20% of the banking market and 25% of all banking customers in New Zealand.
  4. Supports the Private Members Motion passed by the Dail on the 11th Nov 2016 which “calls on the Government to: - implement a new community banking service operated by An Post to be made available in all post offices throughout the country; this post community bank could be based on either the New Zealand Kiwibank model or the German Sparkassen model, both of which have been found to be valid models;”

Therefore, this Council calls on Government to,

  1. Enact ‘Private Members Dáil Motion of the 11th November, 2016.’
  2. Postpone the closure of Post Offices while the Kiwi Post Bank model for the Irish Post Office network is developed. 

And further the contents of this motion be promptly conveyed to the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment and to Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, Chair of Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment.”

 

Proposed by Councillor T. Healy
Seconded by Councillor C. MacManus

AND UNANIMOUSLY AGREED:

“That Sligo County Council calls on the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment and also the Minister for Rural and Community Development to intervene and prevent the closure of rural Post Offices in Sligo as these threatened closures would lead to the destruction of their communities.”

 

Proposed by Councillor P. Taylor
Seconded by Councillor M. Gormley

AND UNANIMOUSLY AGREED

“To ask Sligo County Council to support the retention of Rural post offices in County Sligo with special reference to Gurteen Post Office”.

 

Proposed by Councillors Healy, Baker, Bree, Casserly, Clarke, Gormley, Henry, Keaney, Kilgannon, Lundy, MacManus, MacSharry, Maguire, Mulvey, O’Boyle, O’Grady and Taylor

AND UNANIMOUSLY AGREED

“Sligo County Council calls on the Government to intervene now to prevent An Post using a very restrictive anti-rural definition of a “settlement” taken from the Central Statistics Office 2016 census report, as part of the criteria for establishing a post office in an area.  An Post has stated that no settlement of over 500 people will be left without a post office.  A settlement is defined as “having a minimum of 50 occupied dwellings, with a maximum distance between any dwelling and the building closest to it of 100 metres, and where there is evidence of an urban centre.”  This is too restrictive and rules out vast areas of rural Ireland including many medium sized towns”.

Members discussed the implications of the closure of post offices in rural communities and expressed their concern regarding the definition being used for a “settlement”. Members were anxious that their concerns would be relayed urgently to the two Independent Reviewers – Mr. Paddy McGuinness and Mr. Tom Hobson.

Members further noted that a national protest was scheduled to take place in Dublin on Tuesday, 18th September.

 

END OF MEETING:

The business of the meeting concluded at 2.25 p.m.

 


Meeting Date 12/09/2018