Councillors vote to exclude themselves

Councillors vote to exclude themselves

5 December 2012

LOCAL politicians have taken the extraordinary decision to bar themselves from parts of their own headquarters.

Staff working in a suite of open plan offices at Down Council’s new base at the Downshire Civic Centre don’t want to disturbed and councillor access to these locations has been severely restricted.

Councillors have electronic passes which only permits them access to the area in and around the council chamber, lifts, a committee room used to hold meetings, rooms for their respective parties and ground floor offices to meet with council officials. All other areas are off limits.

The majority of elected representatives are in favour of the new access guidelines introduced when the £11m building opened in September. But not everyone agrees with the decision to end the “open house” policy which existed at the council’s former Strangford Road base where councillors were free to drift in and out of offices at will.

Council chairman Mickey Coogan argued at a recent council meeting that councillors should have open access to the new headquarters, but should not disrupt staff. His proposal was defeated by 14 votes to six.

Councillor Coogan argued there is value in having immediate access to council staff to discuss issues which do not then have to be debated at full council or committee level as the answers politicians are looking for would already have been provided.

“Access at this building is being restricted but I believe an accommodation can be reached if councillors behave in a sensible way. The people who elected us put us in charge and we decide where we go in a particular building,” the council chairman declared.

“At the old council offices we could go and see officers directly, but we can’t do that in this new building; it doesn’t happen here. There also appears to be problems with the internal telephone system. If councillors are happy with being restricted to where they can and cannot go I am happy to allow that to continue. I still think it’s ridiculous that there are parts of this building I am excluded from,” he continued.

The chairman’s view was supported by a number of councillors including Stephen Burns and Cadogan Enright. Councillor Burns described the restricted access at the new headquarters as “extremely frustrating” and said it has already “failed him in spectacular fashion,” but he did not go into any further detail.

“I was not elected to represent this council at a distance; we should have greater access and if councillors are being disruptive that should not be happening. The new headquarters is a building for the public yet we have closed off sections of it. We are public representatives, paid to be here working for the people who elected us,” he added.

Councillor Eamonn O’Neill issued a reminder that all members had signed up to the current access arrangements during the planning of the new building.

He added: “People are now disagreeing with it but I believe it’s a question of us getting used to the new arrangements. We should give them a fair wind; it’s unfair to say our needs are not being met. Let’s review things in six months or a year.”