LIMERICK City and County Council is looking for board members for its three designated activity companies (DAC).
The advertised roles – as part of the Council’s “ongoing commitment to enhance skills and diversity” on its DAC boards – are for board seats on special purpose development company Limerick Twenty Thirty, enterprise development DAC Innovate Limerick, and tourism body Discover Limerick.
The Council said that “suitably qualified persons are being invited to engage with the process in line with the principles outlined in the guidelines on appointments to state boards issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform”.
This comes following a prolonged row between Mayor John Moran and local councillors after Limerick’s first directly-elected mayor last summer expressed issue with the Council’s usual process of assigning guaranteed board seats to elected Council members.
It has been the tradition within the local authority to appoint some local councillors to DAC boards to help steer the companies.
Local councillors took umbrage with Mayor Moran’s view that board members “should only serve on those boards if they can bring specific knowledge” about the company’s specific function.
Councillors and Council management had since sought legal advice in relation to nominations to boards of DACs, and the powers of the Mayor to enforce such a position.
An independent review into DAC board appointments was initiated by the Mayor, however it is not presently clear whether or not councillors will retain their guaranteed board seats. They are however, the Limerick Post has confirmed, eligible to put their names forward in the current call.
Speaking after announcing the request for expressions of interest for the DAC board seats, Mayor Moran said: “We’re building new strategies for our Council-owned companies and now, as a result, we need to build new boards to deliver on it.”
“We want to recruit individuals with the right skills and experience, but also a passion for delivering impactful change in the public sector and especially for Limerick. Good governance is essential in guiding our organisations through an ever-evolving landscape. It ensures transparency, accountability, and the effective delivery of projects and services that will serve our community.”
The Council said that skills and experience sought in applicants include: corporate governance, finance and investment, urban planning, strategic management, legal, audit and risk, business development, research and development collaboration, tourism and hospitality, marketing and branding, and sustainable construction.
However, it “doesn’t expect any candidate to have all of these skills and qualifications”.
Expressions of interest for the DAC board can be submitted by Monday April 28 to [email protected].
