A newly elected Mayo County councillor has questioned the attendance of councillors at an Irish festival in the United States.
Aontú’s Paul Lawless raised concerns about the proposal to send the Cathaoirleach and councillors to attend the Milwaukee Irish Festival in August.
Cllr Lawless has formally requested a detailed cost report for the proposed trip and called for a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to justify the expenditure of taxpayers' money on long-haul flights during peak travel periods.
He says many business owners in his area are already grappling with soaring rates, insurance premiums, energy costs, and the overall cost of living. Many business owners can’t afford to take a day off, let alone see their hard-earned money used to fund politicians' trips to America.
At a time when there is so much financial anxiety out there with the ever-increasing cost of living, Cllr. Lawless believes we should operate with financial prudence.
He said these trips send out the wrong message to constituents and hit out at Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
He has been giving more details to Midwest Radio’s Michael D. McAndrew.