Departing County Manager Philomena Poole
Sinn Féin councillor Tomás Sharkey has called on Louth County Manager Philomena Poole to deliver her report on the conduct of council management before she departs the county.
Ms Poole launched an investigation into the conduct of council staff last year after it was revealed that two high-ranking members of the local authority had sold their own homes to the council for social housing uses.
The report on that investigation has yet to be delivered though, despite the fact it hit the headlines nationally and was even raised in the Dáil.
Yesterday, Ms Poole announced she would be leaving Louth less than a year after replacing Conn Murray to take up the County Manager’s job in Dun Laoghaire and Rathdown.
In a statement issued this morning, Cllr Sharkey wished Ms Poole well in her new role but said it was important she finished the job she started here by delivering her report to councillors as soon as possible.
“We in Sinn Féin wish Ms Poole all the best in her new role. On a number of occasions we saw Ms Poole offering honest, factual data to councillors.
“She was up front with us on the issue of Housing Adaptation grants, funding for Women’s Aid, the Auditors Report into Louth’s 2012 accounts and the financial implications of cash reserves being spent on land during the boom.
“Ms Poole’s first meeting was in September. Then she announced an audit into the purchase of houses from council management staff. That was a bold move by Ms Poole. We are not convinced that previous management would have shown such commitment to getting to the truth.
“That audit has become a wholescale enquiry. Our concerns remain and we now have concerns about the credibility of the enquiry. We have not received the findings of this enquiry yet.
“Sinn Féin feel that Ms Poole has a job to finish here in Louth. We need to discover all the details around house purchases and also why land was bought in Louth Village and Kilkerley using cash reserves at astronomical prices, with not one house ever being built.
“We do wish her well and expect to meet her in the future when investigations come to fruition,” he concluded.
Talk of the Town 