Council Officials Should be Held Accountable for Waste

Council Officials Should be Held Accountable for Waste

Speaking after it emerged last night that Cork City Council is to spend €20,000 to rent an abstract sculpture called the “Cow in a Tree” for fifteen weeks over Christmas, Cllr Chris O’Leary said there needed to be more accountability in how the council spent money.

Cllr O’Leary said:
“Many people in Cork – particularly those waiting on housing repairs from the council or for road resurfacing or traffic-calming measures in their estates – will wonder why the council is spending €20,000 to hire a piece of sculpture.”
“Decisions like this need more scrutiny and those who make them should be held accountable to the elected members. I sit on the council’s Arts Committee but the proposal to pay out for the “Cow in a Tree” sculpture was never brought before us for discussion.”
“The council is currently paying bonuses worth thousands of euro to the outgoing City Manager. I wonder will those responsible for this latest waste of public funds in time be awarded similar bonuses?”
“We need more accountability and transparency in relation to the disposal of public funds. In light of the current proposal going before the electorate to give Oireachtas Committees increased powers of investigation, I wonder should such an investigation be called into the repeated and scandalous waste of public money by Cork City Council, from the Sky Garden to the Cow in a Tree?”
For further information or comment contact Cllr Chris O’Leary @ 087-2794307