Thurles MD council held their AGM yesterday and appointed a new Cathaoirleach. Fianna Fáil councillor Séamus Hanafin will hold the office for the next 12 months. Independent councillor Eddie Moran was appointed to the role of Leas Cathaoirleach for the year ahead.
Meanwhile the Cathaoirleach of Tipperary county council Clr Michael Smith from Roscrea has withdrawn from the Tipperary delegation due to meet the Tánaiste today. Today’s meeting is a rescheduleted meeting that was to include the Tipperary Cathaoirleach, the CEO, Joe McGrath, Meetings Administrator Ger Walsh, Oireachtas members and the 5 Cathaoirleachs from the Municipal and Borough Districts in county Tippeary. Cllr Mary Hanna Hourigan Leas Cathaoirleach will now attend in Cllr Smiths place. Clr Smith said he withdrew as the Tánaiste’s office had reduced the agenda from 6 items to 2 and Cllr Smith had previously secured a discussion on the future of the Dean Maxwell Home in Rosrcrea as an agenda item.
The only two items remaining on the agenda for today’s meeting is – Rural Development and Balanced Regional Development.
Cllr Smith said “We realise his portfolio and the importance of rural development and balanced regional development but we had the N24 that we wanted to discuss, we wanted to discuss the Lisheen site and the bio-economy campus and of course we wanted to discuss the Dean Maxwell situation in Roscrea.”
Cllr Smith described the reduced agenda as an insult to the people of Tipperary.
