Boards dominated by councillors and banning circuses which use animal performances will be on the agenda for next Monday’s Galway City Council meeting.
Fine Gael Galway City West councillor Pearce Flannery will be proposing motions on these issues at the meeting and he is confident he can gain the support of the other 17 elected members to get them passed.
Cllr Flannery will call for a ban on any circus, which uses animals for entertainment purposes, from performing in any area controlled or owned by Galway City Council. If passed this would prohibit most circuses from performing in the city, bar those like the Chinese State Circus which is based around acrobatic acts.
The councillor has described the motion as “aimed at protecting animal welfare”. He expects it to “receive universal backing especially in the light of the disgraceful treatment meted out to a young foal in the city earlier this year”.
However the killing of the foal had nothing to do with any circus that has come to Galway and was a separate matter. At the meeting some councillors may question the attempted linking of the two.
Cllr Flannery will also seek to get councillors support to increase the size of the Leisureland board of management. This follows his successful campaign to ensure a member of the aquatic sports and training community be appointed to the board. He is now seeking representatives of the business community be appointed as well.
“The current board is dominated by councillors at present” said Cllr Flannery. “It needs a more businesslike focus. Another representative from the local business community can only have a positive impact.”
