Councillors angry they weren't invited to meeting with minister

Councillors are angry that they were not participants in a meeting between the Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, John Cummins, TD, and management at Westmeath County Council.

Councillors listed concerns that they would have discussed at the meeting but said they were denied the opportunity to raise them directly with the minister, prompting calls for a formal deputation with the government.

The issue arose at the July meeting, where elected members criticised the minister’s decision to meet only senior management and advisers during his recent visit to County Buildings.

Among the issues councillors said they wanted to discuss were Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits, funding availability for the tenant in situ acquisition scheme, housing delivery, dereliction and a range of local projects.

Cllr Ken Glynn said he had repeatedly raised HAP limits at finance meetings over the years and wanted to know if the issue had been put before the minister. “We weren’t afforded the opportunity to sit down and have a meeting with him,” he said. “I was hoping the management team did raise HAP rates because it’s nigh impossible for people to secure property.”

He also questioned whether the future of the tenant in situ scheme had been discussed, describing it as “a very important scheme” that had helped keep families in their homes.

Cllr Mick Dollard said he was “wasn’t very impressed” that councillors had been excluded, recalling that previous ministers had regularly met delegations of elected members. “This minister doesn’t appear to want to meet council members,” he said. “We need, as public representatives dealing with social housing on a daily basis, to be able to get the ear of that particular minister.”

Cllr Paul Hogan said there had long been a protocol whereby members were invited when ministers visited council buildings or projects. “There are huge issues in housing,” he said, pointing to supply, grants, income thresholds, HAP and homelessness.

He said he hoped the protocol would be adhered to in future.

Cllr Vinny McCormack also expressed disappointment, while Cllr Denis Leonard said members needed direct engagement with ministers given the range of issues affecting the county.

Chief executive Barry Kehoe said the council had complied fully with its protocol. He said the meeting had been requested by the minister’s office, which specified that it would be between the minister, his advisers and the council management team. Mr Kehoe said the council had referred to its protocol but the minister’s office set the terms.

“We did invite the members in to meet the minister in advance of the meeting, but the minister’s office indicated to us that the engagement would be between the management team of the council and the minister and his advisers,” he said.

“If you’re unhappy with the protocol, you need to share with us what protocol you want because I wouldn’t be, without your direction, saying to the minister that we can’t meet you without members.”

Mr Kehoe said the minister had arrived with a set agenda focused largely on regeneration, housing delivery, dereliction and vacancy.

Housing director Jackie Finney confirmed that council officials had raised difficulties surrounding the social housing waiting list, the shortage of private rented accommodation, problems with HAP limits and the lack of suitable homes for larger families and those with specific needs.

She said a review of HAP limits was nearing completion but added that increasing housing supply remained the key objective.

Ms Finney also said the council had fully spent its €1.7 million allocation under the second-hand acquisitions scheme, while additional funding was continuing to be sought for specific cases involving homelessness and disability.

Following the debate, Cllr Glynn formally proposed that the council write to the housing ministers seeking a meeting in the council chamber with an all-party delegation of councillors.

He said such meetings had taken place previously under former housing minister Darragh O’Brien. “I propose we write to the two ministers for housing and ask one or the other to meet with a deputation of the council here in the chamber,” he said.

Cllr Aengus O’Rourke supported the proposal, suggesting councillors themselves should be more proactive in seeking meetings with ministers. “We probably don’t engage much with ministers by way of deputations,” he said. “God knows we have so many issues around housing that I think it would be a good idea.”

Separately, Cllr Tom Farrell proposed that the council also arrange an in-committee meeting with Westmeath’s three government ministers, Peter Burke, Robert Troy and Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, to discuss a broad range of county issues.

Mr Kehoe said the first proposal could be implemented immediately by inviting the housing ministers to meet councillors. On the second proposal, he noted that the council already holds an annual September briefing with the county’s Oireachtas members and suggested councillors could be included in that meeting if they wished.

Cllr Leonard welcomed the proposals, saying councillors needed stronger engagement with ministers. “We’re halfway through our council term. We haven’t met them as a group yet,” he said.

“The amount of issues that are raised here – whether it’s fire services, transport or housing – we need them backing us on a regular basis.”