Galway Bay fm newsroom - City councillors have passed a motion of full confidence in the leadership of Galway 2020 following a chaotic meeting at City Hall last evening.
The meeting was requested following concerns over an alleged lack of information in recent months on the progression of the €45m project - which is expected to generate around €400m for Galway's economy.
The theme of Galway's designation as European Capital of Culture for 2020 is 'making waves' - but it was a storm that threatened to brew at City Hall last night.
Chairperson Aideen McGinley and Chief Executive Hannah Kiely were both on hand to brief councillors on what has been achieved to date and offer a timeline in the run-up to 2020.
It was admitted last evening that there were some 'bumps in the road' in the project - but an assurance was given that Galway 2020 is fully on track to be delivered as planned.
However, many councillors were less than impressed with the presentation and the questions and answers session that followed.
Key concerns included the availability of detailed figures on how much money has been spent so far, what it has been spent on - or what funding has been received to date.
The Chair and CEO pledged to return to City Hall with in-depth figures - and an assurance was given that the Galway 2020 team has strict audit and transparency measures in place.
This was supported by City CEO Brendan McGrath, who also sits on the board of Galway 2020.
Another key issue raised was the lack of awareness among the public regarding the project and how many communities across Galway seemingly still know nothing to little about it.
Ultimately, the end result of last evening's often chaotic meeting was a vote of full confidence in Galway 2020 and its leadership - with an agreement that more frequent - and more detailed - presentations will be given in future.
