The Council Chief Executive, Geraldine McGahey, tells us that the latest Freedom of Information request has clearly impacted on the public image of Larne Council. The Chief Executive must wake up and smell the coffee.
Let's start with the Glenarm project. To date I am the only public representative to:
1. Ask questions.
2. Ask for a public enquiry.
3. Call the Government Auditor in.
In a letter to me dated February 14 the auditor informed me the office is waiting for the completion of the Ombudsman's investigation of the Glenarm Project. Then the auditor's office will start their investigation to the scheme.
I recently have seen, under FOI, invitations sent out by Larne Council to individuals and statutory bodies such as EHS when a panel of councillors was to interview developers ahead of naming a preferred developer for the Glenarm scheme. Practically all stated that the direction Larne Council were taking in trying to deliver the Glenarm project was fundamentally wrong and indeed the Council were advised on a more practical way forward, but surprisingly they carried on.
Other papers obtained by me through FOI clearly show the names of all councillors who proposed a public meeting for Glenarm that has never taken place, as well as the names of councillors who proposed and seconded that Council accept the preferred developer. One of the noted reasons was the amount of money already spent by the successful developer.
Lastly and possibly the most serious, a letter from the Heritage Lottery Fund which clearly condemned the Council's handling of the project and warned that the funding would not be there indefinitely.
What we have now is once again a closed door investigation. Again the rate payers are being kept in the dark. It is strange that in all my public condemnation of the Council, not one councillor has come out publicly to either agree or disagree with me. Possibly they went "into committee".
Then one senior Councillor states, "We are going to have to take this measure to protect some councillors from themselves". Now you could take a lot from that particular statement.
It is now apparent that Larne Council has now embarked on the great Larne Investigation as to who the "Larne Mole" is.
Is asking for information now a criteria for investigation?
In conclusion I believe that now is the time for a public enquiry into the complete running of the Council, if for nothing else to reassure the rate payers. Cast your mind back to the late Councillor Lindsay Mason, a man who asked on numerous occasions for investigations into various projects that the Council were involved in, but was vilified and voted down by successive councils. Perhaps the words "I told you so" will now be a fitting tribute to the gentleman.
May l finish by congratulating the former Mayor of Larne, Tom Robinson, in being the first to agree with me? On February 15 the Larne Times reported that I had called for an independent body to oversee the 27 recommendations for the Council laid down by the Staff Commission. For those who do not remember, look under the heading, "Poacher turned gamekeeper".
I hope that this sorry mess can be cleared up soon. Whatever happens, the results must be publicly accountable and there must be no cover-up. Why I say this is that in 2008 we could be looking at elections for the new councils and certainly this sort of mess cannot be part of any new local authority.
Cllr. Oliver McMullan,
Moyle District Council