In this week’s Dundalk Democrat, there’s an explosive story of how a senior executive officer in Louth County Council’s planning section represented the local authority while it was in the course of purchasing his own home for the provision of social housing.
The paper reports that in 2011 two houses belonging to senior members of the council’s housing department were purchased by the department – one in Blackrock and the other in Tullagee in Knockbridge. The latter home was owned by Donal Clarke with €137,000 spent on it despite it reported to be in a poor condition.
Louth County Council told the Democrat that all guidelines were followed in the purchase of the property.
However, the Code of Conduct for staff according to the Local Government Act 2011, states that “employees should not negotiate or arbitrate in any matter affecting a contract with a local authority or the purchase from, or the sale of goods to a local authority where, in their private capacity, they are involved in the company or body concerned.”
You can read the full story online here.
Also in this week’s paper there’s pictures from the first day of school and from the military parade last weekend.
All that and more in this week’s Dundalk Democrat… on sale now.
