Councillor slams ‘shoddy’ reporting

Councillor with ‘fifth-worst attendence’ accuses Evening Herald of ‘yellow journalism’

THE FACTS

GREEN Councillor Ciarán Cuffe has accused the Evening Herald of "yellow journalism" following a recent two-page spread about councillors’ attendance records and expenses.

Speaking to The Liberty, Cllr Cuffe said: "The Evening Herald has a pretty shoddy record of simply looking at attendance and lashing out a story on the basis of that. I think it is yellow journalism to be perfectly honest with you."

The Green councillor reacted angrily to an article printed in the Herald on January 25 last, which accused him of having the fifth-worst attendance record at Corporation meetings.

According to the Evening Herald, Cuffe missed 37 out of 88 meetings. But he points out that councillors volunteer to go on the committees that make up most of these meetings, so the more committees a councillor sits on the more difficult it is for him or her to have a high attendance record.

To claim full expenses, councillors must attend at least 80 per cent of their meetings. Therefore a councillor with less meetings will find it easier to claim full expenses, and the system rewards those who work less, he says.

Labour Councillor Dermot Lacey shares Cllr Cuffe’s sentiments. He says notice should be paid to councillors’ attendance and the amount of motions and questions put down on the City Council agenda by them.

He claims that attendance figures could be somewhat misleading in any event. "There are councillors, unfortunately, who arrive at meetings, sign the attendance book and then turn around and walk out." However, not all your local councillors agree with Cuffe and Lacey. "There are very few that come in the door and out the door."

Cllr Lynch said: "It's the freedom of information - you have to give it. The point is that it sounds grand. I'm not going to argue with Ciarán Cuffe. The point is I'm on eight or nine committees in the Corporation."

Ben Briscoe (FF) missed 8 meetings out of 44. Earned £4,674.84