Andrew Carey
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A LABOUR party councillor has resigned in protest from the city and county Joint Policing Committee amid claims that the chairman refused to include a report on a Garda Youth Diversion Project and thus “failed in his duties”.
Cllr Tom Shortt addressed the committee as the minutes of the previous meeting were being proposed.
He said that at a meeting in October 2012, it was agreed that a Garda representative would bring the report to the next meeting but to date Cllr Shortt said that the chairman, Cllr Michael Hourigan had continued to “keep it off the agenda”.
Cllr Shortt said he would resign from the committee to highlight the matter.
He said that keeping the report from the committee, “hindered the decision making process regarding a recent vote on the proposed youth centre in the Ballynanty”.
Fellow councillors unanimously accepted the resignation of the Labour councillor.
Cllr Hourigan said that there never was a report prepared for the JPC, and added that Chief Superintendent Dave Sheahan had said that there could be a presentation at a future meeting but nothing had been agreed.
After the meeting, Cllr Hourigan said that it was regrettable that Cllr Shortt felt he had to resign from the committee.
