I am asking our CEO, Mr Lar Power, to explain to us, Cllrs, the very low mark recently achieved by Leitrim Council Council, in terms of transparency, in the National Integrity Index (NII), published in December 2019. Also, I wish him to outline the steps he and his senior staff will be taking to get a much better mark in future.
Minutes:
"I am asking our CEO, Mr Lar Power, to explain to us, Cllrs, the very low mark recently achieved by Leitrim County Council, in terms of transparency, in the National Integrity Index (NII), published in December 2019. Also, I wish him to outline the steps he and his senior staff will be taking to get a much better mark in future."
Report by Director of Services, Housing and Community, Corporate Services, Cultural and Emergency Services
"Leitrim County Council adheres to all legislative requirements in relation to ethics, disclosure and freedom of information.
Our offices are open to the public and Council and Municipal District meetings are publicly accessible. Extensive reporting is undertaken throughout the year, including every month to the Elected Members and all reports are publicly available. We have recently finalised a new five-year strategy, the Corporate Plan, which is developed after each new Council is elected. Every year, the Annual Service Delivery Plan is published to show progress in delivering on our Corporate Plan.
The staff of Leitrim County Council engage directly with the public and stakeholders every day in carrying out their public service duties. Many of our staff work in their local communities with our citizens and stakeholders, including through the Local Enterprise Office (LEO), community centres, public libraries, as well as the Civil Defence and Fire Services.
A complete picture of the performance of Leitrim County Council is available in the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) annual reports that are published and publicised. NOAC is a statutory body that oversees the local government sector including scrutinising performance against pre-determined indicators for customer service and financial performance every year. NOAC thus provides an independent mechanism to monitor and evaluate the local authorities’ performance.
Notwithstanding concerns about how the Transparency Ireland report was compiled and presented, in the spirit of continuous improvement, Leitrim County Council has reviewed its contents and explored any constructive suggestions to help improve access to local authority information and services."
Councillor Des Guckian asked the CEO, Mr Lar Power, to explain, why the very low mark recently achieved by Leitrim County Council, in terms of transparency, in the National Integrity Index
Councillor Des Guckian said that the Local Authority were not transparent, some officials were not giving straight answers and responses to letters he had submitted which seemed to muddy the waters and give him a wrong answer and he expressed his concern that this was incorrect and it shouldn’t happen.
Cathaoirleach, Cllr Enda McGloin said that this comment was unfair.
Councillor Mary Bohan said that this remark should be removed and she said that if Councillor Guckian has an issue or grievance with a member of staff this should be taken up with them directly.
Councillor Des Guckian said he has followed up on this.
Ms Mary Quinn, Director of Services, Housing and Community, Corporate Services, Cultural and Emergency Services stated that Leitrim County Council adheres to all legislative requirements in relation to ethics, disclosure on freedom of information and she stated that there will be an improvement in our rating next year.
Councillor Des Guckian said that he has sent a letter to the Housing Department and has had no reply to date.
In response to Cllr Des Guckian, Ms Mary Quinn said that Housing Allocation Scheme is adopted by the Members and if Councillor Guckian feels the Housing Allocation Scheme needs to be changed this must come before the Housing SPC and if they agree on it, it will then be brought forward before the full Council for adoption.
Councillor Des Guckian said the question was addressed to the Chief Executive and he didn’t answer it and he said he would like to see an improvement in the rating.
In response to Councillor Des Guckian’s motion, Mr Lar Power, Chief Executive outlined why the Director of Services gave the response to the area they are responsible for. The Director has already discussed with him and he said he has taken great issue to the statement that Leitrim County Council are not transparent.
Mr Power said Leitrim County Council adheres to all legislative measures and this Local Authority is transparent.
Mr Power said that Local Authority have looked at the published report and the indicators used and Leitrim County Council will continue to improve and make Leitrim the best place to live, work , visit and invest in.