New figures shed light on politicians' attendance at Cork City Council meetings

A COUNCILLOR who had the lowest verified meeting attendance record of any sitting member of Cork City Council this term has said he doesn’t believe he has shortchanged his constituents.

Independent councillor Kenneth O’Flynn, who represents the Cork City North East ward, had the lowest attendance rate of any current member in the years of this term for which records are available, 2019 to 2023 inclusive.

In that time, Mr O’Flynn attended 147 out of 218 meetings and had an average attendance rate of 67%.

Under local government regulations, councillors’ expenses are docked on a pro-rata basis if they do not attend 80% of council meetings and meetings of “relevant” committees of which they are members.

In 2019, Mr O’Flynn attended 37 out of 52 such meetings, giving him a 72% attendance rate, and in 2020 he attended 23 out of 39 meetings, or 59%. In 2021, he attended 31 of 40 meetings, or 78%, while in 2022 he attended 29 of 46 meetings, or 64%, and in 2023 he attended 27 of 41 meetings, or 66%.

Mr O’Flynn told The Echo he believed he achieved more outside of meetings than in them.

“You attend everything that you can. I also run a full-time constituency office and am involved in the family businesses as well.

“I’m on several committees and I do pick and choose between the committees that are most important to me.”

When asked if the people who voted for him might feel shortchanged by his low attendance of meetings, Mr O’Flynn said: “I don’t think my constituents feel shortchanged at all when they see the level of service I provide for them.

“I’d much rather be out there listening to my constituents and making representations on their behalf than in committee rooms, listening to city managers and listening to officials and not acting on stuff.”

The only councillor with a lower attendance rate during the same period was the then Solidarity councillor Fiona Ryan, who suffered a prolonged and serious illness, multiple surgeries, lengthy recovery times, and a difficult pregnancy.

Average attendance 

Between 2019 and 2023, Ms Ryan attended 100 out of 161 meetings, an average attendance rate of 62%, before standing down from the council in May 2023 after seven years of service.

Across the five years for which Cork City Council has recorded attendance rates for councillors, Green Party councillors Oliver Moran and Dan Boyle were top of the class, attending 122 of 125 meetings and 195 of 190, respectively, an average attendance of 98% and 97%.

Sinn Féin was well-represented in the top five, with Kenneth Collins attending 141 out of 146 meetings, an average of 97%, Mick Nugent 167 out of 173, or 97%, and Henry Cremin, who stood down in 2021, attending 80 out of 84 meetings, or 95%.

Dan Boyle quoted Jane Dowdall, the first female Lord Mayor of Cork, who had said that it was in committees that the most serious work of council happened.

“It’s one of the contradictions of being an elected representative that most of the work you do doesn’t have a public context, but anyone who is public representative should try and maximise their attendance at meetings,” Mr Boyle said.

Oliver Moran said it was a huge privilege to be a councillor and his approach was to give it his all while he could: “I wouldn’t feel comfortable not being there and I wouldn’t want to miss out on a moment of it.”

Kenneth Collins said a councillor’s job was to represent those who elect them, and if he felt he wasn’t doing that, he would rethink his position.

“While I’m there, I try to attend every meeting, and I think the attendance figures prove that Sinn Féin is there for the community and the people we represent.”

Attendance rates 

Between 2019 and 2023, eight members fell short of an 80% average attendance rate.

After Ms Ryan and Mr O’Flynn, who had average attendances of 62% and 67% respectively, Rabhartas councillor Lorna Bogue, Independent councillor Paudie Dineen, and Independent councillor Ger Keohane each had 79%, Fianna Fáil’s Mary Rose Desmond had 76%. Fine Gael’s Des Cahill and Shane O’Callaghan recorded attendances of 76% and 75% respectively. Solidarity’s Brian McCarthy, who took over from Fiona Ryan in June 2023, had a 67% attendance rate.

In 2019, Lorna Bogue, Kenneth Collins, Colette Finn, Oliver Moran, and Mick Nugent all recorded 100% attendance rates.

That same year, five councillors fell below the 80% attendance threshold: Derry Canty (79%), Kenneth O’Flynn (72%), Fiona Ryan (70%), Paudie Dineen (66%), and Kieran McCarthy (63%).

In 2020, six councillors scored 100%: Dan Boyle, Kenneth Collins, then Sinn Féin councillor Henry Cremin, Colette Finn, Joe Kavanagh, and Oliver Moran.

During the same year, five fell below 80%: Fergal Dennehy (76%), Paudie Dineen (76%), Mary Rose Desmond (71%), Kenneth O’Flynn (59%), and Fiona Ryan (26%).

In 2021, Dan Boyle, Garret Kelleher and Kieran McCarthy all scored 100%, with Mick Nugent scoring 98% and Joe Kavanagh 97%.

That year saw five councillors miss the 80% threshold: Kenneth O’Flynn (78%), Fergal Dennehy (76%), Tony Fitzgerald (76%), and Fiona Ryan (75%).

In 2022, Tony Fitzgerald had 98%, followed by Oliver Moran (97%), and Dan Boyle (96%), while Colette Finn, John Maher and Mick Nugent each scored 94%.

In 2022, 11 councillors fell below 80%: Fiona Kerins (79%, Ms Kerins gave birth during 2022 before the Local Government - Maternity Protection and Other Measures for members of Local Authorities- Bill 2022 was enacted), Sean Martin (78%), Mary Rose Desmond (76%), Mick Finn (71%), while Ger Keohane, Fiona Ryan and Terry Shannon each recorded a 70% attendance rate. That same year, Shane O’Callaghan had a 65% attendance, Kenneth O’Flynn 64%, Lorna Bogue 62%, and Des Cahill 57%. 

In 2023, Fergal Dennehy, Tony Fitzgerald and Mick Nugent all recorded 98% attendance rates, while Oliver Moran was 97% and Dan Boyle 96%.

In 2023, 10 councillors attended less than 80% of their relevant meetings: Deirdre Forde (77%), Mary Rose Desmond (75%), Eolan Ryng (74%), Des Cahill (73%), and Brian McCarthy (67%), Fiona Ryan (67%), Kenneth O’Flynn (66%), Ger Keohane (63%), Colm Kelleher (60%), and Shane O’Callaghan (59%).

Expenses 

Regarding how attendance affects expenses, councillors in Cork City receive an annual salary of €28,724 and can claim annual expenses of up to €5,160 to cover travel, subsistence and a mobile phone allowance. Of that sum, €4,200 must be vouched, and €960 can be unvouched.

Under Regulation 17 of the Local Government (Expenses of Local Authority Members) Regulations 2021, “A member must attend at least 80% of relevant local authority meetings to receive the full amount of [their] annual expenses allowance”.

Meetings deemed “relevant” under that regulation include council meetings, and, for members: Special Policy Committee, Corporate Policy Group, Finance and Estimates Committee, and Joint Policing Committee meetings. If a councillor fails to attend 80% of their relevant meetings, their expenses are docked on a pro-rata basis.

One councillor, who asked not to be named, said there was an “inherent unfairness” to the system, in that it effectively rewarded councillors who did not put themselves forward for membership of said committees.

“If you only do the bare minimum, it’s a lot easier to go to all your meetings and get your expenses. Those of us who are on extra committees by definition have to make a lot more meetings to hit our 80%,” they said.