Labour mayors won’t be expelled

THE Labour Party has no intention of expelling two mayors who voted for higher bin charges and against party policy, their leader Pat Rabbitte said yesterday.

Dublin City Mayor Dermot Lacey voted for higher bin charges to save the local council from abolition on Thursday and has been removed from the Labour Party group for breaking the party whip.

But in contrast, Cork City Mayor John Kelleher, who also voted against party policy in supporting higher bin charges, has not had the party whip removed from him.

In Dublin City Council, Labour Deputy Tommy Broughan insisted that a party whip be imposed on their councillors to vote against increased bin charges. And when their councillor, Mayor Dermot Lacey, voted for the bin charge increases the party whip was removed from him.

In contrast, Labour did not impose a whip in Cork City Council and consequently their councillors split in their vote, with Deputy Kathleen Lynch and Cllr Michael O’Connell voting against and Mayor John Kelleher and Cllr Michael Ahern voting in favour. While the Dublin City mayor has been expelled from the Labour Party group on the council he cannot be expelled from the party unless a specific complaint is made against him to the executive council.

Mr Rabbitte said he would not consider expelling Mayor Lacey from the party unless someone makes a specific complaint against him.

“This is an internal party matter and Cllr Lacey cast his vote as he saw fit,” he said.

While Mr Rabbitte accepted that Labour Party policy was to oppose bin charge increases, he said it was up to every local authority to decide this

issue as it saw fit. Asked if the Cork mayor should be removed from the Labour Party group on the city council, Mr Rabbitte said he should not, because he did not break any whip.

Mr Rabbitte said the controversy over increased service charges nationally highlighted the total inadequacy of local government funding.

A major reform of local government, proposed by Environment Minister Martin Cullen, must include a new form of substantial funding, Mr Rabbitte said.