Galway City Council asked to reveal legal fees and settlement costs

He wants to establish how much public money was spent on legal services and outside consultancy work, as well as the overall cost of settlements arising from legal challenges.

“I believe it is really important that we have a clear breakdown of certain areas of Galway City Council’s spending,” he said.

“Ratepayers deserve transparency and accountability for how public money is being spent.

“These are legitimate questions about public expenditure. Before we ask the public to accept spending decisions, we must have the figures in front of us.”

Cllr Cheevers wants the legal fees and consultancy costs itemised by individual director and department, along with the total amount paid out in legal settlements from departmental budgets.

“I would like to see a detailed breakdown of legal fees across all departments over the past 12 months,” said Cllr Cheevers.

“We need to establish how much is being spent on external legal services and whether there is merit in considering an in-house legal team, as some other local authorities have.”

He is also seeking the total cost of settlements arising from legal challenges, without requiring details of individual cases or the parties involved.

“I want to see the total amount Galway City Council has paid out in settlements over the past 12 months,” he continued.

“It is important that we have a clear picture of these costs and understand the overall financial impact on the council.”

The use of external consultants is another area he wants examined, including the cost of bringing in outside expertise to carry out projects on behalf of the local authority.

“I would like a full breakdown of the cost of employing external consultants to carry out projects on behalf of the council over the same 12-month period,” he said.

The requested figures would allow spending to be compared across Council departments and establish where the largest costs have arisen.

“We need to examine where the money is going, whether better value for money can be achieved, and whether some of these services could be delivered more efficiently in-house,” said Cllr Cheevers.

“Ultimately, it is about transparency, accountability and ensuring that taxpayers’ money is being spent wisely.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme