Councillor's Expenses

by David Fri Aug 01, 2008 15:17

Some councillers have got their colleagues to sign in that they were at conferences when they wernt. And then they claim the expenses. Its a disgrace. I dont know about Bray but its happening where I am in Dublin. David

by DOD Fri Aug 01, 2008 20:11

Some politicians were elected to make a stand on issues like Shannon, Tara, and Rossport but they don't. Some Councillors are also paid advisers to these sellouts.

Politicians often behave like scum!!!

by Bill, Bray resident Sat Aug 02, 2008 15:12

Can the above named councillor tell us what he needed over 35,000euros for? Petrol!? Stamps? I call on John Ryan to provide us with what he spent it on. We the public have a right to know. We are your employer. Your duty is the public interest. This 35,000 could have went to community groups or to tackle poverty and disadvantage in the community. The cllrs are all claiming to much. We need to stop all this waste

by Sally Hastings - Member of Amnesty International Sat Aug 02, 2008 18:43

Her Photo was in the Indo too-She spent even more that the other two mentioned . They were something like €50,000. In total for all of Lenster it was 83million! I suppose all the work they deserve it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate living in Bray-I didnt even know who the cllrs were till I saw it in the Indo! I had heard of De Burca as she was always in the local media in the past.

by Bray's Beauty Shining Bright!! - Newcourt Road Resident Sun Aug 03, 2008 15:40

Where are the Town Council for the past 10 or 15 years? What are they doing with their time (and expenses). If you look at other towns in County Wicklow like Arklow and its new shopping centre, Greystones and its new Marina - Bray what is meant to be the principal town in the County has been left in a miserable time warp and going downhill fast. The residents elect their Council to get action not to sit in Council chambers and talk in circles. The main street that should be a very busy and vibrant heart of our town is now nothing more than a haven for Euro shops, charity shops, pubs and apartments. It is becoming a ghost town. There is no selection of good shops and you have to leave town to find anything. Forget about the white Elephant that was meant to be the saviour of the town centre The Florantine that has become a Ground Zero hole that fills in with water every year and which could have been made better use of with a permanent car park to ease the traffic chaos for the town rather than the eyesore it has become. Why where the Town Council not 'on the ball' to make sure that this project was up and running immediately and not lingering in the doldrums for over 10+ years? That is what they are paid to do to develop the town to its best potential.
Its all very well getting a salary (and expenses) if they show something for their time in office in the Council but too many of the Councillors seem to just go in to office for the salary, perks and endless photo opportunities weekly in the Bray People while doing damn all to help the town and its people who maybe (foolishly!!) elected them.
Do they not realise when this new TOWN CENTRE over the Dargle Bridge is built the Main Street the orignal TOWN CENTRE is then dead and buried. Nobody will cross the Dargle to even come to look at the main street never mind the businesses there who are going to the wall all the time.
The other development at the harbour put on the back boiler for so long is now another white elephant like the Florantine as we hear due to the present econimic climate it is unlikely to go ahead.
Why did these things not go ahead years and years ago when they were needed and when it was agreed they would be built? Why wait until the economic downturn so that you have an excuse not to go ahead at all?
Generations grew up in Bray in the 60's to 90's and it was a busy and vibrant place but it has just continued since then to go down down down. What are the paid officials in the Town Council doing about it since.
The one and only saving grace on main street now is the Mermaid complex.
Having said that the high rise apartment complex which has now been built where South Estates and Southern Carpets once stood is a total and utter eyesore and not in keeping with a commercial town centre main street. It overshadows the rest of the premises around it and just does not fit in.
Accountability and transparency - yes we need a lot more of it and a lot more answers.
Good for you Wayne Flanagan Tobin opening up this discussion on our town. We need more like you out there. Keep us updated with developments as they come to light.

by M.C Sun Aug 03, 2008 20:40

The new estates in Bray flew up without any proper planning for community facilities. Regarding the council and the last comment am I allowed to ask the question if any of the councillors have any shares or own any part of the proposed land at the florentine site?? the question must be asked.

by Maureen Cunnningham - Bentley Park Resident Sun Aug 03, 2008 23:07

As the last person has stated what have the Town Council done to provide the facilities for the sprawling housing estates through the town? When my children were growing up they had the swimming pool at Presentation College where the local schools in town would take them for swimming lessons.

With this being a Bank Holiday weekend and the emphasis being on Road and Water Safety due to the nice summer weather a whole generation of Bray children have missed out on learning how to swim and are now because of neglect in providing a new swimming pool in the last 15+ years 'at risk' in the water because they cannot swim or swim very badly without the facility of a pool in Bray.

Would it not have been better to have put a new pool behind he Mermaid complex which could have been used to teach our present generation how to swim and water safety rather than having those garish over priced houses there? They are way over priced and not that attractive and of course it is the Builder and the planning people who have made profits because of them to the neglect of actual leisure facilities in the town for the local population.

The Town Councillors complain about the break down of law and order amongst young people in the town but why when they don't plan any facilities for them? The only thing to do in Bray is to go to the pub or off licence the latter which means there are constant drinking parties in the grounds of Loreto Convent or at the beach in the evenings and then the damage and mayhem these young people cause en route home.

What are the Town Council members being paid for?Does seem like they are just 'mouthing off' about the facilities required but doing damn all to ensure that the town gets them.

The town NEEDS leisure facilities for its current population. It has needed them for so many years we have lost count. No wonder there is no new investment coming to this one horse town. People can see there is nothing to attract anyone to Bray any more.

We need several more horses in this one horse town that will go out and earn their salaries (and expenses) and do something for its residents which is long, long overdue.

Town Council take note.

by Martin Tue Aug 05, 2008 15:52

Its not the councillors as such, well it is, but their are too many temptations when they get elected, there is the temptation to fiddle the expoenses once elected and that is why so many are open to corruption. lolcal government must be reformed. 39,000 seems like a hell of a lot of money.

by Frank Walsh Tue Aug 05, 2008 18:45

It doesnt seem like alot of money IT IS alot of our money shame on them

by Vinney Doyle - Hard working townsperson in Bray who gets NO EXPENSES!!! Wed Aug 06, 2008 00:30

Think what could be done in the local community with that 39,000!!! It could go quite a long way to do some good. How much mileage or how many dinners could one person do in order to claim that much. They would have to either eat non-stop or travel non-stop so if that is the case how do they get any Council work done I ask you?

by Bray person Tue Aug 12, 2008 15:16

It goes on in all professions and common among the crony politicians particularly-some even admit it!

by Cllr J.Ryan's Constituent Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:08

Cllr J.Ryan says Cllr's should sit an exam to ensure they "work for their money" in local media. his proposal comes at a time he wants to divert attention off his own high expenses....we are not all fools

by Fred Johnston Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:33 sylfredcar at iolfree dot ie

Travelling through the UK yesterday, I read in a newspaper that there is a row going on at present concerning the upgrade in salaries of several prominent MPs. Not expenses, perhaps, but it goes to show that politicians everywhere are not slow when it comes to financially bolstering the distance between themselves and 'ordinary' people. In my view, there is something wrong when our elected representatives of all stripes have to claim even more money to do their jobs, particularly when one considers how farcical are the antics of many in council chambers all over Ireland when they hold their meetings: how many Galway City Council meetings, for instance, have had to be, eh, 'postponed' because schoolboy arguing broke out amongst members, many of whom know one another from their youth anyway? Is being a councillor merely another step towards landing up as a senator? We do not demand enough of our public servants. Yet again, we forget that they work for us and not the other way around.

by Patricia McCafferty Tue Dec 16, 2008 02:40 pmccdesign at yahoo dot ie 46 Main Street, Bundoran, Co. Donegal.

Yes it is true, Bundoran Town Council are Corrupt and today they proved it, the Council including a long standing County Councillor Sean McEniff, Town Councillors and Council Officials enjoyed a feast in a building Edenbay (owned by Connolly Contracts) that has No Planing Permission, No Bar Licence, No Fire Certificate and has numerous unauthorised developments attached.

Earlier in the day at the Monthly Bundoran Town Council meeting Cllr. Sean McEniff and his puppies agreed to remove a Record of Protected Stucture the St. Louis Convent from the protected list to faciliate Connolly Contracts. Only one Councillor Florence Doherty McNulty objected,and then was not even invited to this CORRUPTION REWARD FEAST in the unauthorised building.. Last year Connolly Contracts demolished part of this magnificant building and was never prosecuted as he is well in with the Tanaiste Mary Coughlan and Donegal County Councillor Sean McEniff.

I have wrote to the Ministers Dick Roche and John Gormley, Standards in Public Office and the Ombudsman and the Corruption continues.

Anyone know how to stop the Corruption in Local Authorities?

by Wayne Flanagan Tobin Sat Dec 27, 2008 20:49

Dear Patricia, I am very shocked and interested to hear what is going on up there and will send you a private email.. The best method to expose this crowd is the facts and you have them. The internet is a very good method to expose this kind of corruption. Local media can be effective but (understandably TO SOME) the papers rely on a lot of the councillors and businesses for advertising so are reluctant to expose the cronies. I thought the Tshirt was a very good idea that I saw the lady in Bundoran wearing. I usually find wherever there is slot machines, corruption is not far away! You will need people behind you also. Report all the businesses that don't have fire certificates. Do not underestimate the size of the clique in Bundoran because if is anything like what I have seen it will be big and stretches across a lot of sectors. Don't let councillors bully you-MOST OF THEM HAVE NOT GOT A CLUE WHAT THEY ARE DOING (MANY HAVING BEEN ELECTED THROUGH FAMILY TIES OR UNSOURCED FUNDS) AND HAVE DESTROYED THIS COUNTRY THROUGH THE PROMOTION OF BAD PLANNING. The other 10% are so obsessed with getting themselces into local papers that they thinK they could sovle the middle east crisis with a postcard! Keep up the good work-please keep us informed about Bundoran.

by Kevin T. Walsh - Social Justice and Ethics Sun Dec 28, 2008 15:50

Patricia
I admire your guts and your will in exposing the alleged corruption on Bundoran Co. Council. You mention also a certain councillor - for that I would respectfully say to you - be legally careful. To call anybody corrupt in Law you need precise and exact evidence and that takes a court to decide. I am not trying to be in any way sarcastic but you know what the Fianna Fail Hawks are like. They will have their barristers reading your postings word by word.

Patricia I end again by saying I deeply admire your guts and your passion to tell the public, the taxpayer, the Truth as you see it.

K.T. Walsh

by Wayne Flanagan Tobin Mon Dec 29, 2008 02:40

Dear Kevin,
Unfortunately it's too late for watching what we say. If we don't speak up we will achieve nothing. We need more people like Patricia to fight the cronies and it's people like her I would like to see in elected in order to disrupt the cliques and cause mayhem through obstructionism putting power back into the hands of ordinary people and taking it away from the unelected officals. The councillors expenses posted above are from a national newpaper! Check out who your local councillors get their donations from! The time for being careful is over. Why should we not expose what is going on?

by Sceptic - None Whatsoever Wed May 04, 2011 05:00

Do not heed this parasite who likes to align himself with all things bright & beautiful & will sell
you to the highest bidder , You have been warned