Councillors left in dark on major decisions, Doolan says

Sinn Féin councillors have tabled an emergency motion demanding that the Dublin City Council Chief Executive fully engage with city councillors before any decision is made on the future of Wood Quay and the Camden Yard development.

Sinn Féin group leader on Dublin City Council, Cllr. Daithí Doolan said, “Sinn Féin are deeply concerned about how this whole matter has been handled.”

“We most certainly welcome plans for more public housing in the city centre and any decision on these two sites should be about maximising public housing delivery, as well as enhanced services for citizens and value for money.

“This could be a very positive development for Dublin. But city councillors cannot be kept in the dark on these important matters,” he said.

The Ballyfermot-Drimnagh councillor criticised the “drip, drip release of information to the media,” calling the practice “wholly unacceptable.”

“Selective briefings of certain parties only fuel the confusion; a repeat of this exclusion and confusion must be avoided,” he said.

Sinn Féin want a commitment from the Chief Executive that all city councillors will be kept fully updated and fully informed before any future decisions of this nature are made again.”

Per Doolan, a request for a briefing was refused, with the manager claiming they had no access to the facts and figures.

However, within 48 hours, councillors were informed by email that the media were to be informed of the plan.

“This whole process raises serious questions about the Chief Executive’s commitment to governance, transparency and accountability,” he said.

“It is wholly unacceptable that the first we heard about this plan was in the media. This is no way for the Dublin City Council’s Chief Executive to do business.”

Under the plan, Dublin City Council plans to move the Civic Offices from Wood Quay to the Camden Yard site, Kevin Street, but councillors were not informed about the plan.

“We most certainly welcome plans for more public housing in the city centre and any decision on these two sites should be about maximising public housing delivery, as well as enhanced services for citizens and value for money,” Doolan noted, but said the current government practice of not giving councillors input into the decision-making process is wrong.