“It defeats the whole purpose of declaring large donors … so that it’s public and people can see who’s donating for whom and what influence is happening, if any.”
Questions remain as to when journalists will once again have access to Dublin City Council meetings, some of which have been held in private during Covid-19.
Councillors will continue with the business they usually conduct in their committee meetings, but they’ll do it over email – rather then at public meetings.
Developers have to put up information websites so the public can learn about what’s planned. But some have code meant to keep them from showing up on search.
Councillors in the northern neighbourhoods in the city met earlier this week to talk about area issues, including whether planning rules should be relaxed to allow for more login cabins in gardens.
There’s an inflexibility to rezoning industrial land, wrote a Department of Housing official in an email in February. “Its been represented to me quite a few times.”
PPNs were set up across the country in 2014, as a way of getting more people involved in local government. Councillors and those involved in Dublin’s PPN say it’s still finding its way.
