AARON KENT
Fine Gael Councillor Lola O’Sullivan has expressed frustration after Waterford’s new Local Community Safety Partnership was criticised for not granting media access.
Waterford’s LCSP was launched on November 3 last. LCSPs are a new initiative to bring together government, statutory services, volunteers, local councillors, and community members to create action plans to tackle safety issues in their region. The launch of Waterford’s LCSP’s was just the second in the country. LCSPs have replaced Joint Policing Committees, with the intention of allowing more stakeholders to be involved in community safety discussions and practice.
Unlike Joint Policing Committees, the new LCSPs do not allow media access as standard. This is in contrast to when the LCSP was operated as a pilot in Waterford last year, when the media were allowed to attend all meetings of the body.
Last week, Sinn Féin TD, David Cullinane, criticised the decision not to allow media free access. TD Cullinane said media served an important role in Joint Policing Committees by keeping the public informed and ensuring accountability for all involved. He also criticised a change that sees only seven Waterford Councillors on the new LCSP, whereas previously, all Councillors could be involved in Joint Policing Committees. TD’s are also not part of the new LCSPs. These factors, according to TD Cullinane represent a backwards step and undermine the democratic element of community safety.
Responding this week, Vice Chair of Waterford’s LCSP, Cllr. Lola O’Sullivan, expressed frustration that this criticism has come from Sinn Féin, as Sinn Féin has a Councillor on Waterford’s LCSP – Cllr. Joeanne Bailey.
Cllr. O’Sullivan said that Sinn Féin’s Joeanne Bailey was a good councillor, but that if these concerns were pressing then they could have been raised in under Any Other Business part of the meeting. She expressed surprise that these criticisms had come through the media, as Sinn Féin had a member at the table who would have had some guidance on the LCSPs policies.
Cllr. O’Sullivan also wanted to highlight the early stage of Waterford’s LCSP, saying that the first meeting was mainly to launch the group and elect members into the required roles.
She also explained that media will be invited to attend on some occasions, and that the issue of media access is an item for their meeting in January.
Cllr. O’Sullivan believes that all of Waterford’s TDs and senators could attend the LCSP if they so wished.
AARON KENT
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
