Councillors urge Smiddy to ‘get off the pitch’

Furious city councillors have advised the man who chaired the shelved Cork council merger report to “get off the pitch” and let government get on with extending the city boundary.

Sinn Féin Cllr Chris O’Leary likened business consultant Alf Smiddy to “an annoying wasp” while Fianna Fáil Cllr Terry Shannon called on Mr Smiddy to apologise to the people of Cork City for “disparaging and self-serving remarks” which he said were made in an attempt to “claw back some reputation” after his stewardship of the 2015 review of the region’s local government arrangements.

They made their comments during a debate in City Hall in the wake of a public meeting on the proposed city boundary extension in Carrigtwohill last week — one of several areas earmarked by an independent review of the Smiddy report for inclusion in an expanded city area.