*Cllr Donna McGettigan. Photograph: Joe Buckley
COUNCILLORS that missed the vote for the contentious Budget attempted to log on to the virtual meeting but were disrupted due to technical difficulties.
Sixteen councillors voted in favour of the budget with ten against the proposals while two were absent when votes were called. The €138m budget included a 3.8 percent increase in commercial rates.
Both Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) and Cllr Liam Grant (GP) were absent for the vote. McGettigan had been present earlier in the meeting, attending via Microsoft Teams.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Donna confirmed she would have voted against the Budget. “We’ve already lost businesses, they’re already pinned to the collar and are struggling to stay open. I don’t agree with this additional cost. We’re supposed to be in this together so I think it is unfair to put extra costs on businesses”.
Local authority officials have told the Shannon councillor that in future scenarios where an elected representative loses connection while attending remotely that they will be rang over the phone and put on speaker where they will outline what way they intend to vote.
In what would have been his first Budget meeting since his co-option to the Council in October, Cllr Grant was unable to join the meeting remotely. The Lahinch man told The Clare Echo that he was attending a fire fighter training course in Clonmel on the same day as the meeting but was unable to join due to poor internet. He said he was unsure on what way he would have voted.
