The Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council has described as “an insult to the people of Tipperary” the reduced agenda for a meeting with the Tánaiste later today.
Roscrea-based councillor Michael Smith has decided to withdraw from a Council deputation meeting with Leo Varadkar, due to the lack of focus on Dean Maxwell Nursing Home.
The agenda, which originally had six items to discuss including the Roscrea facility and St Brigid’s in Carrick, was reduced in recent days to just two items – Rural Development and Balanced Regional Development.
Michael says County Leas Cathaoirleach Mary Hanna Hourigan will deputise in his absence.
“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.”
“So just to see an email coming back from his Department stating that they weren’t going to discuss this to me wasn’t good enough and I believe it was an insult to the people of Tipperary and I didn’t want to play any hand, act or part in that meeting.”
