Council council’s big improvement on integrity index

WEXFORD County Council has seen a big improvement in its ranking on the National Integrity Index, climbing into fifth place from second last position in 2018.

The index ranks Ireland’s 31 local authorities based on three criteria - transparency, accountability and ethics - by examining systems and practices for promoting integrity.

Information is drawn from council websites, freedom of information requests and feedback from local authority staff and councillors.

Wexford was the best of the three most improved local authorities in the country in 2019, compared to last year’s performance, along with Galway county and Kilkenny, with Wexford County Council scoring 19 out of 30 points (63%) and improving by and impressive 40%.

The Council scored seven out of 10 on Transparency, losing points for such omissions as not publishing on its website written public submissions on town or county development plans; not providing sufficient information in reports on councillor expenses payments; not publishing counillors’ Donations Statements online and not publishing the Chief Executive’s diary.

The Council also scored seven out of 10 on Accountability, losing points for failing to publish online its annual report or its report on protected disclosures.

Wexford County Council scored five out of 10 points on Ethics,losing marks for not having the 2018 Registers of Interests for council members available online; not maintaining and publishing summary data reports recived by the Ethics Registrar or Chief Executive with respect to possible contraventions of Part 15 of the Local Government Act 2001 and not publishing online a risk management or alert plan, addressing corruption and fraud risks. It came out on top in findings such as publishing the minutes of Council proceedings online in a timely manner; making the annual budget and commentary available online; providing a database of past and current planning applications; providing online the minutes of council meetings and providing responses to Freedom of Information requests within four weeks.