Tipperary councillors brand tourism board letter ‘belittling’ and ‘disrespectful’
Calls for elected councillors to sit on the board of Tipperary Tourism intensified this week after councillors criticised the organisation's rejection of the proposal.
At the June meeting of Tipperary County Council (TCC), Fine Gael councillor Declan Burgess said he was disappointed with a response from Tipperary Tourism, which came following calls from Fine Gael councillors that a councillor should be allowed to sit on their board.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Burgess said that councillors should have the chance to be more involved.
“I believe there’s much more engagement that we could have with Tipperary Tourism, and I think the request that came from this chamber to have an elected member sitting on the board is something that should be accepted.
“It contradicts national policy that has come in. The Local Authority Code of Governance published in July 2024 states that elected members must have representation on subsidiary company boards.
“I think we have expertise in this chamber, outside of the work and the dedicated work of officials, I think there’s really strong expertise here,” Cllr Burgess added.
In Tipperary Tourism’s letter, seen by the Irish Independent, chairwoman Helen King said that the current model of the board focuses on being industry-led.
“The company is structured with a board comprising representatives from across the tourism industry, including sectors such as accommodation, food, and outdoor activity providers.
“This composition ensures that the board retains a strong, practical focus on industry needs and opportunities, with representation drawn from those actively working within the sector,” she said.
She added that members of Tipperary County Council are already involved - TCC chief executive Sinead Carr serves as a director of Tipperary Tourism, as well as having the director of services of economic, rural and community development and a tourism officer.
This ensures “strong alignment and collaboration between the council and the company’s activities,” Ms King said.
Backing Cllr Burgess’ call, fellow-Fine Gael councillor Phyll Bugler, who runs a B&B in Ballina, said that many councillors would know a lot of the tourism providers across the county.
“I do feel that we should be on these tourism boards, we know a lot of the providers ourselves, we can identify new tourism products and I think this is like shutting a door,” she said.
Cllr Bugler added that in other county councils, elected members sit on their tourism boards, saying that Tipperary seems to be an outlier in this area.
Several councillors also criticised the response, describing it as poorly worded, dismissive and disrespectful of elected members.
“I think the letter from the chairwoman of Tipperary Tourism is really disappointing, I think it was a terrible letter to be honest, and it shows the terrible lack of respect for us,” Cllr Mary Hanna Hourigan said.
Responding, TCC chief executive Sinead Carr said that while she understands the councillors’ views, Tipperary is lucky to have someone of Ms King’s “calibre” leading the board, and that previously, there had been two tourism boards which had been amalgamated in a “hugely difficult” process.
Ms Carr said that she would raise the councillors concerns with Tipperary Tourism, adding that the councillors and the tourism board want the best for tourism in the county.