Councillor refuses to appear at inquiry

SLIGO’S LONGEST serving borough councillor is refusing to appear before a formal investigation into allegations of bullying and inappropriate behaviour made against him.

Former Labour Party TD and Independent councillor Declan Bree had been called to appear before the investigation today but in a letter to the county manager Hubert Kearns he described proceedings as “a charade”.

Mr Bree said yesterday that he considered that the investigation was nothing more than a “side show” and an attempt to divert attention from the “scandalous recommendation” that the council provide €1.3 million to a private developer towards the cost of building a footbridge over the Garavogue River in Sligo.

The allegations follow a walkout by 11 officials from a borough council meeting on November 3rd last when Mr Bree criticised a proposal that the council raise a loan of €1.3 million to help fund the bridge on the Glasshouse site.

He said that the developer had got planning permission to build a hotel, apartments, retail units and a footbridge and he questioned why the council should help finance the bridge.

A number of borough council meetings were cancelled after the manager condemned “rude and bullying behaviour” in the chamber and said acceptable standards of conduct would have to be agreed.

In his letter to the manager this week, Mr Bree said he had not been allowed to attend the hearing to listen to the evidence of the complainants or to question them. He also pointed out that the press was excluded from the investigation and that, in the event that he was not satisfied with the findings, his only option was to appeal to the manager.

“Given the above are you seriously suggesting that such an investigation could be considered fair or transparent? Do you seriously believe that I would participate in such a charade?” Mr Bree wrote.

He told the manager that he was not answerable to him or to the officials but to the people of Sligo.

The formal investigation got under way on January 27th and it is understood that 10 officials who made complaints against Mr Breen have been called to give evidence. Mr Bree, a member of the borough council and the county council since 1974, noted that the proceedings have been taking place in the Glasshouse Hotel beside the proposed footbridge.

The investigation is being carried out under the local authority’s “dignity at work” policy.