Mayor of Limerick bids to ensure council proceedings can be downloaded

MAYOR of Limerick John Moran is to make a fresh bid to ensure council meetings are recorded and available to view online.

As things stand, those wishing to view local authority proceedings must either attend the venue of the meeting in person, or request a login from council staff to gain access.

However meetings are not recorded, and cannot be downloaded later for people to view at their own convienience, as is the case with sittings of the Dail and Seanad.

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Mayor Moran is working with Social Democrats councillor Elisa O'Donovan, who has agreed to put money from her own devolved budget forward to get the initiative over the line at the next full meeting in March.

Any other costs associated with the proposal will be met from the mayoral fund.

"This is not a new idea,” said Mayor Moran. "Some members have pushed for this for a long period, but it has never been accepted here in Limerick. We have the technology, we know the cost is not at the level previously suggested, and importantly, I am proposing a funding pathway that protects core services in any event. There is no remaining practical barrier, and
I believe the time has come for fuller visibility on council affairs.”

Proposals to have council meetings recorded and available for download have seen a mixed response in recent years, which in effect have seen the idea parked.

Concerns have been raised regarding data protection, defamation, cost, and the accidental disclosure of confidential material onto the internet.

Conversely, supporters of recordings have said this could protect members against being misquoted, or having their comments taken out of context.

As things stand, neither members of the public nor councillors are allowed to make audio or video recordings of council meetings.

Mayor Moran said with his and Cllr O'Donovan's intervention, cost can no longer be cited as an obstacle.

"Open debate is fundamental to democracy. Proceedings of Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann and Oireachtas committees are recorded and made available to the public as a matter of course. Local government should meet that same standard. If we expect public trust, we must ensure that our deliberations are visible and accessible," he said.

The mayor said in response to concerns previously raised about the misuse of video excerpts, that the publication of full unedited recordings is the strongest safeguard against this.

He has gained support for his proposal from local Fianna Fail TD and Minister of State Niall Collins, who said: "It is important that democracy is exercised in public and that meetings be readily accessible to the public. I could never understand the opposition to this happening previously. Other local authorities across Ireland for a long time now have live streamed and live broadcasted their meetings. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that this can not be done in Limerick.”