A budget meeting of Donegal County Council in Lifford has been adjourned following an argument between Independent Cllr Frank McBrearty and Fianna Fáil Cllr Ciaran Brogan.
The council met for three days and nights and couldn’t reach an agreement over the council’s budget for 2014.
It follows calls by councillors for the transfer of €350m worth of assets from the council to Irish Water to be halted.
Cllr Brogan told the Irish Independent:
“We met as a party at the weekend and we will continue to maintain our stand on behalf of the Donegal public and send a clear message to the management of this Council as well as Minister Phil Hogan that the people of this county have suffered enough and will no longer accept these savage cuts from this Government.
“Minister Hogan rammed through legislation before Christmas where all of the opposition TDs walked out of the Daíl. He and his Government are neither prepared nor willing to listen to a view point other than his own or his party’s which flies in the face of democracy.”
Donegaldaily.com reports:
“The meeting never even got to discuss the budget before it ended in uproar. Cllr Brogan had claimed that one of his party colleagues Cllr David Alcorn had received a threatening email at 4.46am from Cllr McBrearty. Cllr McBrearty then called through Mayor Ian McGarvey for Cllr Brogan to “withdraw these slanderous comments.”
“The independent councillor also asked for the email to be read into the record to “prove” it was not a threatening email. Mayor McGarvey agreed; then withdrew permission on legal advice from Director of Service Liam Ward. Mayor McGarvey was forced to adjourn the meeting amid uproar. But Cllr McBrearty read out his email to Cllr Alcorn anyway as Fine Gael, Labour and independents listened.”
Jaykers.
Council meeting adjourned amid uproar over late night emails (Donegal Daily)
Rebel council ‘to fold today’ over Irish Water (Independent.ie)
Previously: Three nights and three days
