CRITICISM OF COUNCIL UNFAIR AND UNJUSTIFIED
Criticism of council unfair and unjustified Chief
By John McCusker
Group considering legal action over council's lack of Progress since 1998 bomb.
MEMBERS of Omagh Self Help Group will meet with council officials later today in an effort to resolve the controversy surrounding claims that the council had let down those affected by the Market Street bombing.
Chief Executive, John McKinney this week hit out at newspaper reports that the bereaved and injured had not received support as unwarranted, unjustified and unfair.
And he added that the Council would not 'run away' from accusations that those affected had been abandoned in their hour of need.
His comments follow a number of recent front page articles which heavily criticise the Council's response and lack of progress since the atrocity.
Among the charges levelled at the Council was its failure to manage the Omagh Fund, the lack of a permanent memorial to the victims and its inability to expel Independent councillor and 32 County Sovereignty member, Francis Mackey.
But this week, Mr McKinney said the Council had no power to deal with many of the issues, and he believed it had done everything within its remit to deal with the situation.
However, members of the Omagh Self Help Group say they are considering launching a judicial review or pressing for a public inquiry into the Council's handling of the aftermath of the atrocity.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Adrian (21) was among the 29 who died in the blast, said many of those affected felt hurt and angry at the lack of response from the Council.
"News last week that the three matches played at Omagh Town Football Club may only raise somewhere in the region of �15,000 for the Fund was the last straw for many of us," he said.
"We feel that the views of many of those directly affected by the bombing have not been taken into consideration when it came to drawing up the trustees of the Omagh Fund.
"And there is a fear among relatives that they are not going to have any say in what type of permanent memorial is to be erected in memory of the victims.
"We also feel deeply hurt by the fact that our own councillors are still sitting with Councillor Francis Mackey, and as every day passes he is gaining acceptance within the Council chamber.
"At the end of the day, we have a lot of concerns about the Council's whole response to the aftermath of the bombing," he added.
Self Help Group vice-chairman, Stanley McCombe whose wife Anne died in the tragedy said those affected felt deeply upset at the lack of movement on a number of fronts.
"Those of us who have been directly affected by the bombing feel not enough is being done to move the whole thing forward.
"We feel that a number of these issues need to be addressed immediately. All we want is the truth," he added.
During Tuesday night's Council meeting, Mr McKinney said he felt it 'unfair and inaccurate' to blame the Council for its handling of the situation.
Referring to the Omagh Town fund-raising game with Manchester United, Mr McKinney said he had been approached by the premiership side's chief executive Martin Edwards, to play a 'scrutiny role' in overseeing the income from the match.
The Council was currently waiting on a report from the accountant involved in the procedure and would wait until that report was issued before commenting further, he said.
As regards a permanent memorial to the victims of the bombing, the Chief Executive said the Council was doing everything in its powers and consultations were continuing with victims and relatives of the bereaved.
Referring to calls for the suspension of Cllr Mackey, Mr McKinney said it was not within the powers of the council to 'eject' any democratically elected member from the chamber.
"This attack is unwarranted, unjustified and unfair" he added.
Council Chairman, Allan Rainey said he felt 'saddened and disappointed.' He said he felt the Chief Executive and fellow officers had gone far beyond the call of duty in their efforts to deal with the bombing's aftermath.
SDLP Councillor Joe Byrne said very few people realised the strain and pressure the Council had come under following the attack. "It had been an extremely difficult time for everyone concerned" he added.
As one of the first on the scene to help those caught up in the tragedy, Cllr Paddy McGowan said he felt it 'absolutely absurd' that accusations could now be levelled against the Council.
And the DUP Oliver Gibson said he was amazed the integrity of the Council had been questioned.
"I resent the accusations very much. The football matches were outside our remit," he added
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Pat McDonnell said he had now set up a meeting between the Self Help Group and the Chief Executive in an effort to iron out any difficulties which may have arisen.
Cllr McDonnell who will chair this evening's meeting at the Grange said he was hopeful of a satisfactory outcome.
"It is regrettable that this has occurred in light of the suffering which this community has undergone. But there is a lot goodwill among those involved and I am hopeful something positive will come out of the meeting.
"This is an Omagh problem, so it is best left to the people of Omagh to solve it," he added.
By John McCusker
Group considering legal action over council's lack of Progress since 1998 bomb.
MEMBERS of Omagh Self Help Group will meet with council officials later today in an effort to resolve the controversy surrounding claims that the council had let down those affected by the Market Street bombing.
Chief Executive, John McKinney this week hit out at newspaper reports that the bereaved and injured had not received support as unwarranted, unjustified and unfair.
And he added that the Council would not 'run away' from accusations that those affected had been abandoned in their hour of need.
His comments follow a number of recent front page articles which heavily criticise the Council's response and lack of progress since the atrocity.
Among the charges levelled at the Council was its failure to manage the Omagh Fund, the lack of a permanent memorial to the victims and its inability to expel Independent councillor and 32 County Sovereignty member, Francis Mackey.
But this week, Mr McKinney said the Council had no power to deal with many of the issues, and he believed it had done everything within its remit to deal with the situation.
However, members of the Omagh Self Help Group say they are considering launching a judicial review or pressing for a public inquiry into the Council's handling of the aftermath of the atrocity.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Adrian (21) was among the 29 who died in the blast, said many of those affected felt hurt and angry at the lack of response from the Council.
"News last week that the three matches played at Omagh Town Football Club may only raise somewhere in the region of �15,000 for the Fund was the last straw for many of us," he said.
"We feel that the views of many of those directly affected by the bombing have not been taken into consideration when it came to drawing up the trustees of the Omagh Fund.
"And there is a fear among relatives that they are not going to have any say in what type of permanent memorial is to be erected in memory of the victims.
"We also feel deeply hurt by the fact that our own councillors are still sitting with Councillor Francis Mackey, and as every day passes he is gaining acceptance within the Council chamber.
"At the end of the day, we have a lot of concerns about the Council's whole response to the aftermath of the bombing," he added.
Self Help Group vice-chairman, Stanley McCombe whose wife Anne died in the tragedy said those affected felt deeply upset at the lack of movement on a number of fronts.
"Those of us who have been directly affected by the bombing feel not enough is being done to move the whole thing forward.
"We feel that a number of these issues need to be addressed immediately. All we want is the truth," he added.
During Tuesday night's Council meeting, Mr McKinney said he felt it 'unfair and inaccurate' to blame the Council for its handling of the situation.
Referring to the Omagh Town fund-raising game with Manchester United, Mr McKinney said he had been approached by the premiership side's chief executive Martin Edwards, to play a 'scrutiny role' in overseeing the income from the match.
The Council was currently waiting on a report from the accountant involved in the procedure and would wait until that report was issued before commenting further, he said.
As regards a permanent memorial to the victims of the bombing, the Chief Executive said the Council was doing everything in its powers and consultations were continuing with victims and relatives of the bereaved.
Referring to calls for the suspension of Cllr Mackey, Mr McKinney said it was not within the powers of the council to 'eject' any democratically elected member from the chamber.
"This attack is unwarranted, unjustified and unfair" he added.
Council Chairman, Allan Rainey said he felt 'saddened and disappointed.' He said he felt the Chief Executive and fellow officers had gone far beyond the call of duty in their efforts to deal with the bombing's aftermath.
SDLP Councillor Joe Byrne said very few people realised the strain and pressure the Council had come under following the attack. "It had been an extremely difficult time for everyone concerned" he added.
As one of the first on the scene to help those caught up in the tragedy, Cllr Paddy McGowan said he felt it 'absolutely absurd' that accusations could now be levelled against the Council.
And the DUP Oliver Gibson said he was amazed the integrity of the Council had been questioned.
"I resent the accusations very much. The football matches were outside our remit," he added
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Pat McDonnell said he had now set up a meeting between the Self Help Group and the Chief Executive in an effort to iron out any difficulties which may have arisen.
Cllr McDonnell who will chair this evening's meeting at the Grange said he was hopeful of a satisfactory outcome.
"It is regrettable that this has occurred in light of the suffering which this community has undergone. But there is a lot goodwill among those involved and I am hopeful something positive will come out of the meeting.
"This is an Omagh problem, so it is best left to the people of Omagh to solve it," he added.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1334
Published Date: 09-Mar-00
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