The Chorus saga which has dogged Castlebar Town Council for the last number of years has ended with the council having to fork out €162,000 in settlements and legal fees over the release of a €152,369 bond lodged with them by the company. An out of court settlement saw the council hand over €100,000 to Chorus and then pay out €62,000 in legal expenses.
Independent Councillor Michael Kilcoyne told a meeting of Castlebar Town Council he was very disappointed that it had cost the council almost €10,000 to refund a bond to a company who had failed to carry out what it was contracted to do. He continued, saying “this has also been a big cost to our rate payers for repairing damage caused to footpaths around the town, it’s a episode of what can only be called public administration at its worst.”
Labour Party Cllr Johnny Mee urged the council to take their time in future and not to be hasty to rush into agreements as they did with this one. “We entered into this deal in a very inept and rushed manner. All deals we enter into in the future must be more carefully scrutinised. In all my years on this council, I’ve never came across a more shameful episode.”
Cllr Aidan Crowley told the meeting that “the council was treated with bully boy tactics and I hope it never happens again,” while Cllr Brendan Heneaghan said that “the sad thing is that nobody in this town has benefited from the investment because it was never finished properly.”
Town manager Seamus Granahan, said he believed the decision to settle out of court was the right one, because if they had gone into the High Court and lost they could have faced a more serious payment in settlement and fines.
