Councillors elect three members to new Town Centre First team in Tipperary

During the monthly meeting in November of the Tipperary/Cahir/Cashel Municipal District, councillors had to make a decision on which elected member to allow sit on the ‘Cashel Town Centre First Team’.

Fine Gael Cllr John Crosse first proposed fellow Fine Gael Cllr Declan Burgess to sit on the team in committee in Cashel. This decision was then seconded by Fine Gael Cllr Marie Murphy.

Independent Cllr John O’Heney then proposed that Cathaoirleach of the meeting, Fianna Fáil Cllr Roger Kennedy, was selected to sit on the committee in Cashel. The proposal was seconded by Independent Cllr Andy Moloney, who said:

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“You’re the most experienced here around the table. I think you should be on the committee unless there’s a reason you can’t be,” he said.

Cllr John O’Heney then proposed that Independent Cllr Liam Browne also sit on the team and this was seconded by Independent Cllr Máirín McGrath.

With three council members chosen to sit on the committee, Damien Ginty who is Director of Services Economic Development and Enterprise Social Inclusion for the council, asked that councillors rethink electing three members to the committee.

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“It’s going to be a small committee and already a quarter of the committee, as a result of the proposals here today, is going to be comprised of elected members of this Municipal District.

“The idea was to bring as many people in the community, as many people in the town and as many groups in the town, into the process as we can.

“There is a risk here that there is a significant overrepresentation of members of the MD in the committee, that it will dilute and may place unrealistic representations on what the council is expected to achieve as part of that group.

“It’s a matter for the group, on how many members sit on it, but I just ask that ye keep that in mind,” he explained.

Cllr Andy Moloney said that it would be ‘ludicrous’ if the three elected members from Cashel weren’t allowed an input into the committee.

Committees like the one discussed have an ideal number of 12 members in them, the meeting was told.

“I think it’s only fair that all three of them be on the committee, we’re the elected representatives and we need to have people feed in what they want to have done in their towns.

“It makes sense in my opinion that all three are a part of the committee,” said Cllr Murphy.

Cllr Burgess said that the three different members wear ‘different hats in the community’ and as elected members it would be beneficial for the town for them all to be on the committee.

The meeting decided not to hold a vote and instead went with the proposals of having the three members join the Cashel committee.