New Mayor lays down a marker

MAYOR of Clare Councillor Pat Daly has laid down a marker for his council colleagues in a bid to deal with official business more efficiently at monthly meetings.

Addressing councillors at his first meeting as the new First Citizen on Monday, Councillor Daly stressed he didn’t want to be preaching about the need to adhere to standing orders and confine local issues to electoral area meetings.

Over the past few years, monthly meetings have been adjourned on one or two occasions, despite the best efforts of former mayors.

Councillor Daly believes all council business should be concluded in one meeting and started as he means to go on by concluding all discussions on motions at 6.10pm.

He is proposing a proposer and seconder of a motion be allowed to speak at the meeting and believes it isn’t necessary for a number of councillors to comment on every motion.

He also feels the director of services and council officials could be addressing other local authority work rather than staying on at meetings outside office hours to provide answers to motions tabled by councillors.