Republican News · Thursday 10 April 2003

Derry Council agrees media access

Sinn Féin Councillor Barney O'Hagan has welcomed the decision by Derry City Council to support a Sinn Féin proposal to "permit the broadcast media, television and radio, to transmit, in full or in part, council meetings conducted in open business".

Proposing the motion, O'Hagan said that "the work of Derry City Council is the business of the people of Derry and there is no reason in the 21st Century why that business should not be more accessible to all the media, be it the print media or the broadcast media.

"Sinn Féin has already stated our intention to open up the workings of the council to the people of Derry, particularly in relation to the much-abused practice of confidential business that blights the council. This motion is part of the process of providing maximum access for the people of Derry to the work their elected representatives are doing on their behalf.

"At a time when local government is being reviewed, it is vital that people have the opportunity to see what councillors are doing on their behalf, and just as importantly, that they are doing what they claim to be doing. Openness accountability and transparency must be the guiding principles for all our work in Derry City Council".

The Town Clerk will bring a report to the next monthly Council meeting outlining how this can be implemented.