Cork councillors seek financial training to help with budget talks

Cork county councillors have asked the County Hall executive to provide financial expertise to help elected members get to grips with the annual budget.

The call was made by Cllr Des O’Grady who was among number of first-time councillors elected in 2014.

Overall, a total of 31 of the 55 sitting county councillors experienced their first budget meeting towards the end of last year.

A number have since expressed an interest in getting some advice and coaching on financial matters from council officials.

All of Sinn Féin’s 10 councillors are first-timers, as are most of the 10 independents.

Mr O’Grady had lodged a motion demanding the provision of a course. He asked the council “immediately arrange an appropriate training programme for councillors in financial management, with special focus on annual budgets, and that the council will arrange for a number of workshops to be held for councillors in preparation for the 2016 budget”.

Preparation for next year’s budget will begin shortly. Traditionally, a number of meetings are held before it can be ratified.

Mr O’Grady, who heads the SF party in County Hall, said there were huge changes in the financing of local government and they need to be understood by councillors.

He quoted a ‘Value for Money’ report by the Department of Environment which said such training for councillors should be provided.

“In 2011, county council wrote back saying it recognised this and wanted to introduce it. What happened to the course?” Mr O’Grady asked officials.

“Last year’s budget was the first many councillors here faced up to. I propose we have some workshops on the budget now before that meeting takes place.”

Cllr Frank O’Flynn (FF), one of the longest-serving councillors, fully agreed while newly-elected Cllr Kay Dawson (FG) said a number of the newcomers were “lost” when it came to trying to understand the finance structures.

Cllr Cathal Rasmussen (Lab) said: “We get an amount of paperwork and it can be difficult to decipher some of it.”

Another long-serving councillor Kevin Murphy (FG) agreed, in principle, but added there was little point in putting workshops in place unless all councillors turned up.

The council’s chief executive Tim Lucey said the Association of Irish Local Government was charged with providing such training and had organised some sessions. He said the council’s finance department responded to a significant amount of requests for information from councillors and parties prior to the last budget.

However, Mr Lucey offered to put together a proposal for a session between councillors and the finance department on how the budget works.

Mr Lucey said he would talk with the council’s Corporate Policy Group to work out what type of training could be put in place.