‘Rural champion’ elected to lead Tipperary County Council for coming year
Tipperary’s newest First Citizen has been elected this week, and has been described as a “rural champion”.
At the Annual General Meeting of Tipperary County Council, Fianna Fáil councillor John Carroll was elected Cathaoirleach of the county council for the coming year, taking over from Fine Gael councillor Declan Burgess.
Proposed by councillor Michael Smith and seconded by councillor Sean Ryan, Mr Carroll was described as a champion of rural Ireland.
In proposing Cllr Carroll, Michael Smith said that the incoming council chair has plenty of experience which will serve him well in leading the county for the next year.
"He has proven to be a rural champion in relation to his involvement in the LCDC (Local Community Development Committee), in the North Tipperary LEADER programme, and while there was so many challenges throughout that time, he was there to the fore as chairperson and he led from the front,” Cllr Smith said.
"I have no doubt that with those great leadership skills that he showed in that forum, that he would make an excellent chairperson,” Cllr Smith added.
First elected in 1999, Cllr Carroll previously served as Cathaoirleach of North Tipperary County Council in 2006 before north and south Tipperary County Councils were amalgamated in 2014.
Speaking to the Irish Independent after his election, Cllr Carroll said that his priorities for the year will be agribusiness, roads funding and the delivery of homes for young people across the county.
"The content of council business and meetings has changed considerably [since 2006], there are key challenges today and there’s a lot of benefits,” he said.
"I was focusing in on the agricultural economy in terms of the climate, the Government can’t say one thing and not fund it, we were talking about the ACRES scheme – that’s the environmental scheme to improve biodiversity – and they’re over a year behind in payments to farmers, that’s not a way to win co-operation, and the farmers are really up for it,” Cllr Carroll said.
Also among the incoming Cathaoirleach’s priorities for the coming year is encouraging Uisce Éireann to develop more water infrastructure across the county to support home building.
"Uisce Éireann providing waste water treatment plants for the towns and villages to sustain a young population that they have housing, so that they don’t have to emigrate. We’re a large county, when you have a good agricultural and vibrant economy that impacts positively and the same as sustainability of the towns and villages,” he added.
Carrick-on-Suir councillor Mark Fitzgerald was elected as Leas-Cathaoirleach for the coming year, having been proposed by Fine Gael colleague Marie Murphy and seconded by outgoing Cathaoirleach Declan Burgess.