Statement issued obo Anne Donaghy
- We are instructed by the Chief Executive of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council on legal issues arising from recent Council decision making on a number of matters including the decision to withdraw staff from Larne Port, a Stormont Committee Report on that decision, handling of Council staff bullying allegations and other matters.
- Our client wants to put on record her interest in ensuring complete transparency on all Council business together with any issues arising from her oversight on the same She accepts completely these are matters of significant public interest with an attendant media entitlement to report on all their out workings.
- However, some media coverage has been disproportionately intrusive on issues that both undermine Council protocol are the subject of internal employment procedures and pending legal proceedings It is both unhelpful and indeed prejudicial to have complex and sensitive matters played out in the media before due process has been completed.
- Such problems have been compounded by unauthorised leaks from Council as part of a wider political agenda to unseat her To that end in order to reset some balance we are instructed to deny any of the vague allegations made against her to date In 13 years as Chief Executive she has never had a complaint made against her challenging her work She herself has been subjected to bullying and harassment including online social media attacks all of which are the subject of ongoing engagement with PSNI.
- Anne Donaghy presents as a very hard working single parent of two young children one of whom has Downs Syndrome We are confident she will successfully manage all ongoing internal employment procedures and is looking forward to returning to her role as clerk and Chief Executive in due course.