HOW many councillors does it take to make up an assessment panel for festivals and events grants?
This proved to be the €500,000 question at County Hall this Monday.
Six was the recommendation that came from the Cultural Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) at a meeting of Limerick City and County Council. They proposed an assessment panel comprised of six cross-party representatives from the Cultural SPC, two sectoral interest from the SPC and one independent national expert from festivals/events.
And while it sounded like a simple enough decision to make, what ensued proved to be anything but.
When it was put to council members that the assessment panel would compromise of two Fianna Fail members, two Fine Gael members and two members from the other parties as a “true reflection of the people”, things took a turn for the worst.
After a Cultural workshop to discuss assessment panel policy on May 8, the recommendation was put forward to the Cultural Special Policy Committee on May 14. It then landed before the 40 elected representatives on the full council this week.
But, as it turned out, no one had done the arithmetic.
One school of thought concluded that in order to have six cross-party representatives, you must have six parties.
Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Fein, Independents — ‘where’s the sixth party?’ it was asked.
Solidarity?
No.
“We’ve no skin in the game,” Cllr Cian Prendiville conceded.
The Solidarity councillor explained that his party had sought representation on the panel but were “unanimously” voted against. He then went on to suggest that experts in this area would be better to assess events on their merits than councillors anyway.
Cllr Vivienne Crowley then pointed out that the entertainment industry is very “close-knit”.
“You are talking about a small circle of people. Everybody knows everybody,” she claimed.
Chairman of the Cultural SPC, Séighin Ó Ceallaigh (SF) took umbrage at Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for trying to “take control”.
Fianna Fail councillor Kieran O’Hanlon was having none of it.
“Let’s get real here. The fact is six councillors is proportionate, fair and right.”
Fine Gael councillor John Sheahan told council members that there was a substantial budget of €600,000 to consider.
“€500,000,” Ó Ceallaigh replied.
“Fianna Fail cut it by €100,000.”
“You haven’t thought this through,” Council chief executive Conn Murray told councillors.
“You haven’t got clarity here. It isn’t going to get any clearer,” he declared.
After a ‘brief’ 45-minute break for party leaders to discuss the matter in more detail, it was finally agreed that the panel would consist of seven councillors – two Fianna Fail, two Fine Gael and three from the other parties.
