Cork County Council demands arbiter in boundary row

Local Government Minister Eoghan Murphy has been given until Monday to appoint an independent mediator to sort out the row over Cork City’s boundary extension, or face High Court action to prevent it.

The gauntlet has been thrown down by Cork county councillors, who reacted furiously after learning that the chairman of the Implementation Oversight Group, John O’Connor, had been given extra powers which would compel them and their officials to co-operate with formulating his decision, or else face possible imprisonment.

A letter which will be sent to Mr Murphy from Mayor of County Cork, Declan Hurley, says: “This appointment has created a situation whereby if Cork County Council officials and elected members do not cooperate with a process of agreeing a boundary based on the expert advisory group report [Mackinnon] they are liable to criminal prosecution and imprisonment.”