Sinn Féin councillor Jack Murray has said that he believes there’s a possibility that his emergency motion which calls for the council not to collect information from utility companies in order to pursue those who haven’t paid the household charge will be passed.
Cllr Murray said that it will depend on whether or not he can get support from Fianna Fáil.
Speaking in advance of Tuesday’s meeting, Cllr Murray said: “Unfortunately at the last sitting of Donegal County Council, Fine Gael were facilitated by their Mayor to filibuster throughout the meeting in order to block my motion from being discussed.
“While their childish and undemocratic stunt succeeded in blocking a debate on the motion, they did not prevent me from reading it out. Therefore the motion stands and will be discussed on Tuesday.
“Two independent councillors have already confirmed that they will support me. With the support of Fianna Fáil the motion will succeed.
“The vast majority of people in Donegal have not paid the household charge. They have not done so because it is unjust. They understand that it will not pay for council services and are fed up paying new taxes in order to bailout private banking debt.
“This motion is about protecting their privacy. It would be wrong for the council to access ESB bills and social welfare information from families in Donegal.
“I understand that some members of Fianna Fáil agree that the council should not do this. I hope that they will support me on Tuesday.”
Tags: