Councillors Trips paid for by you

Max Powers

Just looking at the councillors meeting minutes for May. See link or bit copied and pasted. I noticed the section below which shows the conferences that our great public servants were on; Galway, Cork, Killarney etc. All courses, hotels and food paid for by your taxes no doubt. The good wife/husband probably comes along too. F-ing disgraceful councillors, these courses are not only of very little relevance to what they should be doing but are simply junkets for the lads. Im truly shocked that this is going on in this day and age.


http://www.waterfordcity.ie/documents/meetings/council/2012/14may12councilmeeting.doc


CORRESPONDENCE

Attendance at the following conferences was proposed by Cllr. J. D’Arcy, seconded by Cllr. D. Daniels and unanimously agreed:
1. Disability Access Certificate – 6th-7th April - Kingsvalley Hotel, Galway
Cllr. D. Roche
2. Celtic Conferences - Modern Alternatives to the disappearance of fossil fuels. Celtic Ross Hotel, Roscarberry – 13th -15th April, 2012.
Cllr. H. Quinlan, Cllr. J. D’Arcy.
3. Mental Health & Suicide Awareness Conference, Park Hotel, Dungarvan – 24th - 26th Feb, 2012.
Cllr. P. Hayes
4. National Business Conference, Waterford Chamber – 9th Feb, 2012.
Cllr. M. Roche, Cllr. P. Hayes
5. ACCC Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny – 10th-11th May, 2012.
Cllr. J. Cummins, Cllr. D. Daniels, Cllr. L. O’Neill, Cllr. P. Hayes, Cllr. T. Cunningham, Cllr. H. Quinlan.
6. Mayors Conference. Co-operation in practice – 9th-11th May – Malton Hotel, Killarney –
Cllr. L. O’Neill, Cllr. H. Quinlan, Cllr. S. Ryan

Big Lar

Do you think that the councilors should stay at home and bury their head in the sand ?

Sully

Big Lar wrote: »

Do you think that the councilors should stay at home and bury their head in the sand ?

But is there really any advantage to us that they do these courses, other than it being an additional expense on the state?

Max Powers

Big Lar wrote: »

Do you think that the councilors should stay at home and bury their head in the sand ?

No. Do you think in our current economy or any economy for that matter these courses look acceptable to attend bearing in mind the price of a 2-3 day weekend stay in a hotel, food & drink, transport,misc, etc.

Potential-Monke

Let them attend these courses, but it should all be paid for by themselves. Let it be their days work, but they should have to pay for their own rooms/food. Lets see who wants to attend compared to who just wants the freebies.

Hoffmans

on point 2 in the op ? modern alternatives to disappearing fossil fuels

nice weekend away for what exactly?? ,
suppose they'll be drilling for oil in the peoples park next?
or mabey a windmill on top of reginalds tower....

Max Powers

In the March council meeting minutes: Have they no shame, how many tens of thousands is this costing the Waterford tax payer when it could clearly have better and more effective use in buying roads sweepers, better signage, investment in viking triangle, etc etc.

free weekends in Clare, Cavan and Mayo for the lads and ladies. Renewable Materials Design Strategies, Construction methods & technologies ??......is L O Neill working on some city council highly innovative project we dont know about. I doubt it, I would love to know what he learned and what use it is going to be for the people of Waterford City
http://www.waterfordcity.ie/documents/meetings/council/2012/12mar12councilmeeting.doc

Attendance at the following conferences was proposed by Cllr. D. Daniels, seconded by Cllr. M. Roche and unanimously agreed:

1. Renewable Materials Design Strategies, Construction methods & technologies – 7th-9th February, 2012. Mill Park Hotel, Donegal.
Cllr. L. O’Neill
2. AMAI Seminar – Cavan - 9th-11th Feb, 2012
Cllr. L. O’Neill, Cllr. T. Cunningham, Cllr. D. Daniels
3. Personal Insolvency – Westport, Co. Mayo – 2nd-4th March, 2012
Cllr. H. Quinlan, Cllr. L. O’Neill, Cllr. T. Cunningham
4. Media 2012 Training & Communications for Councillors, Ennis Co. Clare – 2nd-4th March, 2012.
Cllr. D. Roche, Cllr. D. Walsh.
5. Training/Development Workshop for Councillors – Six Strategies to Take Charge of 2012 - 9th-11th March, 2012.
Cllr. D. Roche

Councillors are really feeling the pain with the massive recession and jobs crisis we have here in Waterford.

angry_fox

Max Powers wrote: »

is L O Neill working on some city council highly innovative project we dont know about. I doubt it, I would love to know what he learned and what use it is going to be for the people of Waterford City

Maybe it's the new roundabout on the quay?

Black Suir

Max Powers wrote: »

Just looking at the councillors meeting minutes for May. See link or bit copied and pasted. I noticed the section below which shows the conferences that our great public servants were on; Galway, Cork, Killarney etc. All courses, hotels and food paid for by your taxes no doubt. The good wife/husband probably comes along too. F-ing disgraceful councillors, these courses are not only of very little relevance to what they should be doing but are simply junkets for the lads. Im truly shocked that this is going on in this day and age.


http://www.waterfordcity.ie/documents/meetings/council/2012/14may12councilmeeting.doc


CORRESPONDENCE

Attendance at the following conferences was proposed by Cllr. J. D’Arcy, seconded by Cllr. D. Daniels and unanimously agreed:
1. Disability Access Certificate – 6th-7th April - Kingsvalley Hotel, Galway
Cllr. D. Roche
2. Celtic Conferences - Modern Alternatives to the disappearance of fossil fuels. Celtic Ross Hotel, Roscarberry – 13th -15th April, 2012.
Cllr. H. Quinlan, Cllr. J. D’Arcy.
3. Mental Health & Suicide Awareness Conference, Park Hotel, Dungarvan – 24th - 26th Feb, 2012.
Cllr. P. Hayes
4. National Business Conference, Waterford Chamber – 9th Feb, 2012.
Cllr. M. Roche, Cllr. P. Hayes
5. ACCC Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny – 10th-11th May, 2012.
Cllr. J. Cummins, Cllr. D. Daniels, Cllr. L. O’Neill, Cllr. P. Hayes, Cllr. T. Cunningham, Cllr. H. Quinlan.
6. Mayors Conference. Co-operation in practice – 9th-11th May – Malton Hotel, Killarney –
Cllr. L. O’Neill, Cllr. H. Quinlan, Cllr. S. Ryan

Is there a way of finding out what each of the city councillors have gone in expenses in the last year or year and a half (Since the last general election anyway). This list would cover what they get for the use of their phone, what they get for attending confirences both at home and abroad, what they as mayors and vice mayors allowances, chairs of different committee allowances etc. The Dungarvan Observer gave figures for the county i think it was last week. It was a bit of an eye opener in one way, but it others it wasnt as we all know that many of them, despite what they will say are in the politics game for what they can get out of it rather than what they can put in. Its a bit like some of those on the various G.A.A. Committees. Some of them are holding the G.A.A. back by not allowing change to be made because they will loose out themselves when it comes to All-Ireland tickets etc. If a list was available for the city as well as for Dungarvan, Lismore and Tramore town councils I would love to see it. Of the four I have not seen published anyplace, I would say what the Lismore Town Councillors get compared to the others is fairly small and none of them are double jobing.

Doom

WTF would a county councillor know about this one;

2. Celtic Conferences - Modern Alternatives to the disappearance of fossil fuels. Celtic Ross Hotel, Roscarberry – 13th -15th April, 2012.

mikom

Keep paying your household charges and don't question your betters......

Black Suir

mikom wrote: »

Keep paying your household charges and don't question your betters......

Did anyone on here pay the €100 and will they pay it next year.

7upfree

What is needed is a voluntary, unpaid, Citizens council, made up of people who actually give a damn.

SerialComplaint

7upfree wrote: »

What is needed is a voluntary, unpaid, Citizens council, made up of people who actually give a damn.

That's what we had in the 1800s. It meant that politics was the preserve of the wealthy, of those could afford to give a damn about politics.

There is nothing wrong with paying councillors. The problem is abuse of the funding for travel and training.

Max Powers

7upfree wrote: »

What is needed is a voluntary, unpaid, Citizens council, made up of people who actually give a damn.

Agreed

ROCKMAN

Here's an idea

Ok we are never going to stop these type of conferences and cash cows going ahead ...IMO

So lets start hosting them bring some of that cash this way , And been based at home would stop or at least decrease our councillors expenses ...

Professey Chin

ROCKMAN wrote: »

Here's an idea

Ok we are never going to stop these type of conferences and cash cows going ahead ...IMO

So lets start hosting them bring some of that cash this way , And been based at home would stop or at least decrease our councillors expenses ...

We need a conference centre for that.
(Well really a lot of places would do if its not really large but politicians like the sound of "5 Star Hotel with Conference Facilities")

AdMMM

I remember a lot of these being on in the hotel that I used to work in and often remarked how I rarely saw local politicians attend them. Granted, not all of them would have been relevant to them but when you see the types of conferences that they are attending far up the country, it makes you wonder if they only attend them to clock up mileage that they can claim back!