Talks continuing on Donegal County Council power-sharing
The new council meets on Friday for the first meeting of it’s five-year term
Talks are ongoing between parties and groupings on Donegal County Council aimed at finding agreement on power-sharing ahead of Friday’s annual general meeting.
The talks between the whips of the different parties and groupings, as well as independent councillors, include deciding who will be the cathaoirleach and leas-chathaoirleach for the new council’s first year.
The discussions also involve the division of positions on the dozens of committees and organisations that councillors sit on. These include the Donegal Joint Policing Committee (JPC), Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB), the HSE’s Regional Health Forum, cross-border organisations, as well as council committees.
One source close to the talks said discussions will be ongoing on Thursday to find agreement.
The power-sharing agreement on the last council was between Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and some independent councillors. Sources have said that there is a will for the power-sharing system to be maintained in the new five-year council term.
Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin are the biggest parties on the council with 10 councillors each. Ten new councillors have joined the council, including four from the 100% Redress Party, which has one seat more than Fine Gael.
The parties and groups on the council have previously used the D'Hondt system to allocate positions based on the proportion of votes received in the election.