A Co Down councillor has slammed an unidentified council official for allegedly making “scandalous” claims against him shortly after paying respects at his deceased daughter’s coffin.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s monthly full meeting heard “serious allegations” linking the elected member to an “affidavit” causing delays to the council’s new £17m civic centre.
An emotive speech was made in chambers by independent councillor Jarlath Tinnelly saying he was “crushed and broken” after his daughter Aoife Tinnelly, 24, tragically died in a fatal road traffic collision in Kilkeel on 20 April.
The Crotlieve elected member has given the official a week to apologise or he will seek a formal investigation into the matter.
Councillor Tinnelly said: “As you are well aware on April 20 this year, 11 weeks ago tonight, my family was plunged into the biggest trauma of our lives.
“The darkest hole from which none of us have even begun to emerge, and it is in that context that I wish to address you all regarding a matter of utmost concern, and I thank you for the opportunity to do so.
“Like all other elected members, I also received an email on May 19 regarding an update on the JR (Judicial Review) for the Civic and Regional Hub which included the following sentence, ‘the applicant’s solicitor has failed to honour the timetable agreed and advised on 22 April that they could not present their skeleton argument as they required an affidavit from an elected member’.
“To my utter dismay and bewilderment, I was subsequently informed over the following weeks by some of my fellow councillors that the elected member referred to in this email was myself, because an official in this council had named me to some of my elected colleagues.
“For the avoidance of doubt, to suggest I have any part to play in this JR is a scurrilous lie and for a council employee to name me in such a cavalier manner without having the common decency to raise it with me first, is I hope you agree, absolutely scandalous.”
The council had voted through designs for its new HQ in the city centre in June 2025.
The significantly delayed project has proved deeply divisive with more than 2,500 objections submitted by parishioners of Newry Cathedral mainly over car parking concerns for Mass goers.
A Newry resident has now cleared the first stage of a high court challenge, in June, to the council’s controversial £17m civic centre.
However, a judge has ruled that the Judicial Review can only go ahead under the challenge that the plans failed to comply with climate change.
Councillor Tinnelly added: “Colleagues, I trust you agree this is totally unacceptable conduct from any council official, that they could so casually abuse their privileged position within this council, to make such an erroneous claim about an elected councillor behind their back during such a difficult time is unforgivable.
“I spoke to that council official last Thursday, where they completely refuted that they had done anything wrong and therefore declined the opportunity to apologise for their actions, hence my request to address you this evening.
“During that conversation, I was told a couple of things that sound dubious to me at the very least.
“Firstly, last Thursday and 10 weeks after it was dated, I was made aware for the first time of a legal letter from a Belfast based solicitor whom I do not know to the High court that is dated April 23 which erroneously suggests they were expecting an affidavit from me.
“The council official told me they had a copy of this letter because it was not legally privileged and that they in fact were ‘legally obliged’ to bring it to the attention of the party group leaders, whom on receipt of such information the group leaders would have been expected to keep it confidential.
“However, this explanation quickly falls apart when I find out subsequent to that discussion on Thursday, that I was also named by this same council official at, at least one party group meeting with the senior management team and also at another other meeting where councillors other than group leaders were present.
“So I may well in fact be the last councillor in this chamber to be made aware of this matter.
“Colleagues, this letter that erroneously uses my name was dated April 23 , and it makes me sick to the pit of my stomach that this same council official stood at the foot of my daughter’s coffin on April 24 whilst possibly already in possession of this letter and beginning to plan how best to use it to undermine me in the eyes of my fellow councillors.
“I can only conclude that for a council employee to then proceed and throw my name around like confetti in such a reckless manner was most likely done in an attempt to besmirch my integrity, call in to question my credibility and try to create difficulties for me as an elected councillor whilst I am at the lowest point in my life, crushed and broken by the death of my daughter.
“And how ironic it is, that despite the impression been given that the whole JR may hinge on this fantasy affidavit, the case apparently has now proceeded to a full high court hearing later this year.
“Colleagues this council official and employee is thus far indifferent and oblivious to the gravity of this matter.
“They refuse to accept that they have made an egregious and monumental error of judgement by their actions, and despite declining the offer to recognise the harm done and apologise, I am repeating that offer here this evening and I would ask for your support in so doing.
“I am therefore asking this council official to go away from this meeting and urgently reflect on what has been said in this chamber this evening, recognise they were wrong to take such erroneous and false information, regurgitate it and present it as fact without checking it’s accuracy, recognise the hurt they have caused to me personally and issue a full, unqualified and unequivocal apology within the next week.
“Such an apology will be the end of the matter, however failure to do so will leave me with no choice but to request an external independent investigation by the relevant body that may potentially involve many within this room being called as witnesses, in addition to the reputational damage and scrutiny it will likely bring on council.
“Should an investigation be required, ideally, I would like to see it being requested by my elected colleagues, however if councillors aren’t in agreement, I will proceed alone in addition to exploring the possibility of initiating civil proceedings.
“To the other officials within this council who are well aware of what happened here, I ask you to look into your hearts, because you know full well this was an outrageous overreach by one of your colleagues and use your influence to bring pressure to bear and ensure this matter is resolved immediately.
“And finally, once again to my colleagues, we may all have our own political perspectives and outlooks that are often at odds with each other, but the one thing that binds us all is our personal integrity, our good character and reputations that take years to build, yet can be destroyed in a moment.
“That is why I have no choice but to pursue this and do so by seeking your full support on getting to the bottom of this matter, I honestly believe such a disgraceful intervention and assertion would not have been made about any other councillor within any party grouping, let alone go unchallenged and certainly not when they were at such a low ebb personally and that is why I am determined to see this grievous slur corrected.
“My beloved daughter Aoife would expect me to do no less. Thank you chairperson for affording me the opportunity to address this matter.”
A council legal adviser responded: “Just to confirm you (Cllr Tinnelly) have made this statement in open session and that is a matter for you which I have already advised upon with you.
“Just to advise, I advise the council body corporate in relation to any ongoing Judicial Review.
“It is incumbent on me to protect the council, the body corporate if there is a conflict of interest and I note no declarations have been made tonight (July 6) in relation to this item.
“Then at that point we would have to consider where conflict sits and currently with the serious allegations that have been made in relation to the legal representation that have been made to council through those proceedings I will have to take those further.
“And I will take those further forward on behalf of council given the legal representations that have been made to the judge and to council in relation to, as some councillors may have seen, noted in legal correspondence.
“But, also the repeated position by the applicants in relation to a Judicial Review that will have an impact upon that Judicial Review, which as I say is ongoing so it would be inappropriate in an open forum to discuss anything any further in relation to the legal advice to that, but I will take that matter forward.”
Putting forward a proposal, chairperson Glyn Hanna said: “I think the way forward for this is that Jarlath has offered a week to see if this could be resolved.
“Would you all be happy enough to give it a week for an opportunity for any issues to be resolved privately?”
The matter was agreed by the chamber.
