Paul Hayes to quit Cork County Council

‘Others will go too’ warns seasoned politician

LONG-SERVING local politician Cllr Paul Hayes will not be seeking re-election to Cork County Council.

Independent Cllr Hayes (46) made the shock announcement this week, after over 20 years in politics, having been first elected to Clonakilty Town Council as a Sinn Féin public representative.

Cllr Hayes has blamed the heavy workload and the lack of proper remuneration for his decision, which came after much consideration, he told The Southern Star this week.

‘After 20 years it will be a big change for me personally, and for my family, but after giving it careful consideration over the Christmas period, I believe this is the right decision for me.

‘It is very hard to have a day job outside of being an elected representative, and I believe others will leave local government unless the members are properly remunerated,’ he warned.

Cllr Hayes added that while that a councillor’s remunration used to be €17,500, and was increased to about €26,000, it still ‘won’t raise a family or pay a mortgage’.

‘It is getting harder to juggle the Council role with the necessary day job,’ Paul admitted.

‘The scheduling of meetings and the general workload associated with the role as a county councillor is more demanding than people realise. It is almost a full-time role and people have an expectation that you have the same resources as Oireachtas members.

‘Aside from the workload, I believe more councillors will walk away due to frustrations with the amount of red tape, and the lack of resources required by councils to provide basic services.’

While saying it was ‘a privilege’ for him to serve the people of West Cork, his role as a business development manager with Blue Butterfly Coffee has become increasingly more demanding of his time.

Paul is also hoping to work with others to organise wellness retreats that promote physical and mental health.

The hiking enthusiast, who has climbed to Everest base-camp, is looking forward to new opportunities after finishing his term in June.

Paul, a native of Clonakilty, now lives in Courtmacsherry with his wife Gertie and their three children. He successfully stood as a candidate for the first time in 2004, having been involved in other election campaigns since the late 1990s.

He did not retain his Town Council seat in the 2009 local elections, but a bold general election bid, in 2011, saw him garner almost 3,500 first preference votes. That wasn’t enough to secure him a Dáil seat, but it was a good stepping stone to his successful 2014 campaign, in which he took the sixth of eight County Council seats in West Cork.

A national review of boundaries saw West Cork split into new electoral areas which, critically, meant that Paul, with his home base in Courtmacsherry, couldn’t even vote for himself.

Paul had considered a second general election bid in 2016 but instead acted as director of elections for Sinn Féin candidate Rachel Mc- Carthy, which was ultimately unsuccessful.

In February 2020, a second general election bid saw Paul stand as a Sinn Féin party candidate but it was his elimination in the seventh count that gave Holly Cairns the votes she needed to secure the third seat in the Cork South West constituency, following the return of the Independent TD Michael Collins, and first-time election for Fianna Fáil, TD Christopher O’Sullivan.

Paul had hoped for support from Sinn Féin for a Seanad nomination, but that was not forthcoming. Within weeks, he resigned from Sinn Féin and became an independent.

His decision not to continue in politics will come as a surprise to many but others – who have been following the resignations of several councillors from across the political divide – will understand his decision.

Among those in West Cork who gave up their seats in recent years, or have indicated that they will not seek re-election, include James O’Donovan (FG) Aidan Lombard (FG), Rachel McCarthy (SF), Katie Murphy (FG) and Ross O’Connell (SD). Kevin Murphy (FG), John O’Sullivan (FG) and Cllr Hayes say they will not seek re-election.