‘I have just about had my fill of some of the nonsense in this chamber today. There must be a full moon outside’: blasts former Mayor

A former Mayor of Derry suggested there was a “full moon outside” during a meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council. . Sinn Fein Councillor Elisha MCallion was speaking during the Council’s monthly meeting in the Guildhall.

During the meeting, Independent Councillor Paul Gallagher raised an issue in relation to the Local Community Planning initiative currently being undertaken by the loca authority.

The Local Community Plan has been created in a bid to “shape the long term strategic direction for the city and region and enhance the delivery of public services to ensure we are improving the well-being of all of our citizens.”

As part of this process, a Transition Community Planning Partnership has been set up to oversee the implementation of the community plan.

The partnership includes local political representatives along with representatives from community and statutory agencies in Derry and Strabane.

However, Cllr Gallagher said there was no representation on the partnership from independent councillors.

He proposed that independent councillor Darren O’Reilly be co-opted on to the partnership.

The Council’s chief executive, John Kelpie, said the matter of independent representation on the partnership had been discussed at a previous meeting and that councillors had taken a vote on the issue and put forward a recommendation.

Cllr Gallagher said he was asking for that recommendation to not be accepted and for Cllr O’Reilly to be co-opted on to the partnership.

Sinn Fein councillor Paul Fleming said the process of choosing councillors to sit on the partnership had been based on the D’hondt system used by the council on other matters.

He dismissed suggestions that the process had somehow been “manipulated”and said it had been a democratic process.

His party colleague, Elisha McCallion, criticised Cllr Gallagher’s proposal.

“I have just about had my fill of some of the nonsense in this chamber today. There must be a full moon outside,” she said.

“I for one am sick of it. There are far more important things to be dealt with in this chamber.”

Cllr Gallagher’s proposal was put to a vote.

Five of the independent councillors supported it, while 28 of the other councillors present voted against it.

Four councillors abstained from voting.