Greater transparency needed from Offaly councillors says Sinn Fein local elections candidate

Speaking this week Ms Masterson said: “Talking to people on the doors, it is clear that there is a need to rebuild trust between politicians and the public.

“Far too many people I meet feel disconnected from their local representatives.

“A lot of decisions are made in council meetings that affect people’s lives and the areas that they live in. However, it is often hard for people to find out exactly what is being said and how elected reps are voting.

“At the moment, If someone wants to attend a council meeting, they would need to take time off in the middle of the day to attend in person – a luxury many workers and parents simply can’t afford.

"The minutes for council meetings can also sometimes take months to be uploaded, and don’t even include a full transcript.

“I want a Council that is as open and transparent as possible. The first step to achieving this is making sure Council meetings are as widely accessible to as many people as possible online through live streaming and playback.

“This not only allows full transparency, but also gives a context to what is spoken about.

“The fact is, this isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel – this is already available in almost half of our Councils.

“Of course, there will always be times where, for example a private individual is identifiable, there will be a need to discuss the matter in private. However, the solution here is to simply discuss these issues in a prior private session in a similar way to the Joint Oireachtas Committee’s.

“There is nothing holding back this move, except perhaps the political will from those who want to continue to make decisions behind closed doors.

“I am calling on all candidates in the upcoming local elections to support this and commit to a more transparent and accountable Offaly County Council for all.”