Political row erupts over venue choice for election of Cork's Lord Mayor 

Cork City councillor Colm Kelleher is expected to be elected the next Lord Mayor.

A vote on the venue for the election of Cork's next Lord Mayor has sparked a political row and prompted calls for a “neutral venue” to be chosen.

It follows an 18-9 vote by city councillors to hold this year’s council AGM in the sports hall at Coláiste Choilm secondary school in Ballincollig on Friday rather than in a city centre hotel.

Ballincollig-based Cllr Colm Kelleher is expected to be Fianna Fáil's nominee for mayor and with the party in line for the mayoral chain this year, Mr Kelleher is expected to be elected.

Sinn Féin Cllr Mick Nugent said he didn’t want to predict the outcome of the mayoral vote but he said a “neutral venue” should have been chosen.

City Hall can’t host the AGM this year — its historic council chamber can’t facilitate social distancing, and its concert hall is being used as a Covid-19 mass vaccination centre.

The online council meeting was told that there was a demand from most councillors for a physical AGM this year, and city officials were tasked with identifying potential venues.

Councillors were told that the school hall had been deemed the most suitable venue.

Criticism

But Independent Cllr Thomas Maloney criticised the way the venue issue came before council. He said two venues had been agreed at a recent party whips meeting and it was his understanding that both were to be discussed at Monday's council meeting.

Others rounded on Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, accusing them of trying to ram the proposal through.

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Solidarity Cllr Fiona Ryan described the AGM as a “coronation”, which she said was sowed years in advance by the Greens, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, with the support of some independents, and that the venue choice had come before council “as a fait accompli and without communication”, while Worker’s Party Cllr Ted Tynan said it was an attempt by Fianna Fáil to promote its policies in “a big building in Ballincollig”.

Indoors concerns

Cllr Lorna Bogue expressed concern about the AGM being held indoors in the context of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions and suggested arranging an outdoor venue.

“If we're asking people to think outdoors, shouldn't we be considering it ourselves?” she asked.

Labour Cllr John Maher said in his capacity as a scout leader, he can only meet with 15 people outdoors, and he offered to arrange a marquee.

But Fianna Fáil Cllr Terry Shannon said other venues, including the Opera House and The Everyman, were examined and the only venue that could provide certainty in terms of ventilation, height of the roof, space and ambience, four days out from the AGM, was the school hall.

The council’s head of corporate affairs, Paul Moynihan, said the cost of renting a space in the hotel was not a determining factor, and the fact that the council would have exclusive use of the school hall was crucial.

“Simply put, the school hall lends itself to a safer event,” he said.

Last year’s AGM was held in City Hall’s concert hall, with strict social distancing and public health measures in place. The meeting was closed to the public and its duration was capped to adhere to public health guidelines.

Numbers attending Friday’s event will also be limited, as will the duration of the meeting.