PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT byelection candidate Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin has submitted an ethics complaint to Dublin City Council about an alleged breach by councillor and lord mayor Ray McAdam. 

News website The Ditch has reported that Fine Gael’s McAdam used an official car provided to him in his role as lord mayor to attend an event in his capacity as a Dublin Central byelection candidate.

The event in question happened last week and was organised by Save Our SNAs and Equality in Education in Ballybough.

Dublin Central bylection candidates at public meeting organised by Save Our SNAs. (left to right) Ray McAdam, Eoghan Ó Ceannabhain, Janice Boylan, Gerry Hutch, Daniel Ennis and Ruth O'Dea. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Ó Ceannabháin said McAdam was “clearly there not in his capacity as lord mayor, but rather in his capacity as a byelection candidate”.

Section 12.1 of the Code of Conduct for Councillors states that “councillors must show all reasonable care for local authority property, resources and funds and not use them, or permit their use, for unauthorised or non-official purposes.”

Ó Ceannabháin said the alleged use of the official car is “clearly an abuse” of Dublin City Council resources for a non-official purpose and has called for the council to initiate an investigation.

“It is outrageous that the lord mayor, Ray McAdam, has used public resources for private gain,” said Ó Ceannabháin.

He said the Lord Mayor’s car is “explicitly only for use for official functions yet councillor McAdam has been caught using it for his byelection campaign”.

He has submitted a complaint about the alleged breach of the Code of Conduct for Councillors by McAdam and called on Dublin City Council to “initiate a formal investigation as soon as possible”.

McAdam has been approached for comment.