Issue - meetings

Executive Manager, Anthony Flynn informed Members that there is a proposal for the Dublin Culture Company to take over responsibility for the management of events in City Hall. This was part of a process intended to deliver a coherent strategy with how events are managed across all Dublin City Council cultural buildings. He confirmed that there would be no change to the existing facilities for Councillors and to Council meetings.

The Members thanked the Manager for his report and identified the following areas of concern;

·         Ensuring the integrity and safety of the Councillors work environment. The use of City Hall for events was welcomed but not to the detriment of the Members. Excessive noise from the rotunda has caused disruption to Council meetings in recent times.

·         Members requested that it would be important that the Protocol Committee would still have a strong say in the operation City Hall.

The Members requested that a written report detailing the proposals would be brought to a future meeting of the Protocol Committee.

The Manger thanked the Members for their input and recognised that safeguarding the Councillors work environment in the context of City Hall as an event space would be of prime consideration. He agreed to bring a report before the Members once details of the proposals had been formalised.

In relation to the redevelopment of Newcomen Bank, Ruth Dowling confirmed that it had been agreed to provide additional party rooms in the lower ground floor of City Hall and to upgrade of the existing party rooms instead of providing additional office space in Newcomen Bank. Consideration would be given to re-establishing the Newcomen Bank Working Group as a means to update Members on the status of that project.