In an escalation of the row over 500 thousand euro for the project several councillors from the Nenagh Municipal District walked out of their meeting yesterday in protest.
They are demanding clarity on funding from Minister Alan Kelly's office but local Labour representative Fiona Bonfield insist there is nothing out of the ordinary with it.
It was like Lanigan's Ball for a time at Nenagh Municipal District yesterday- with Fianna Fail's John Carroll leading the charge- as councillors stepped out in protest – stepped back in and then out again – over the announcement of 500 thousand euro – under the Limerick Regeneration Scheme for amenities in Newport.
The funding from Minister Alan Kelly’s department will be matched by monies from Tipperary County Council's but the whole matter lead to disquiet firstly at the county council meeting on Monday and then in Nenagh yesterday ..
Councillors questioned how long the council had known about this, why they were kept in the dark – what was it actually going to be used for, and how could it be justified spending the money on a town park in Newport
Director of the District Marcus O Connor said there was no mystery to it
However councillors were not appeased accusing the minister of undermining their authority and trying to micro manage the authority – Fine Gael's Phyl Bugler who was among those who walked from yesterday's meeting accepts there is a need for facilities in Newport but she needs answers first.
Newport native and Labour Councillor Fiona Bonfield criticised her fellow councillors for their action and insisted it’s long since been known that the village has been campaigning for services.
She rejected that the funding announcement was an election stunt
