Pictured above left to right, Cllr. Joe O’Riordan, Cllr. Lola Osullivan & Cllr. John Hearne.
A Waterford councillor has criticised local media for reporting on security allowances paid to two of his colleagues, arguing that details of security measures at councillors’ homes should remain confidential.
Cllr Joe O’Riordan made the comments during a recent meeting of Waterford City and County Council, where the payment of security allowances to local representatives was raised.
His comments come after it was revealed that two Fine Gael councillors received almost €20,000 in publicly-funded security allowances during 2025.
Figures published by Waterford City and County Council show that a total of €19,591 was paid under the heading “Security Allowance” between January and December last year.
Cllr Lola O’Sullivan received €9,591, while Cllr Pat Nugent received €10,000.
They are the only councillors listed as having received a security allowance during that period.
The payments are provided to elected members who face what the regulations describe as a “credible and serious threat to their personal physical security arising from their role as an elected member.”.
New regulations introduced last year allow councillors to claim up to €10,000 towards expenses associated with personal security measures.
Cllr O’Sullivan, who is currently serving as Metropolitan Mayor of Waterford, previously confirmed to WLR that her allowance was used to install gates at her private residence.
Cllr Nugent confirmed that his allowance was used for gates and CCTV at his property.
However, during the council meeting, Cllr O’Riordan questioned why details relating to the security allowances had been reported by the media.
He said he believed local media outlets should consider whether their coverage amounted to “rage bait”, arguing that social media posts about councillors receiving security funding could expose them to further abuse.
He also questioned why details of security measures installed at councillors’ homes would be made public.
“I find it extraordinary that a security matter found its way to media on the basis that security should be and is confidential,” he said.
Cllr O’Riordan said that if a councillor installed security measures such as gates or cameras at their home, details of those measures should not, in his view, be publicised.
“It shouldn’t be advertised all over the media that a certain councillor has cameras in his house or whatever, that should be confidential,” he said.
He compared the situation to security arrangements in other industries, saying that such information would ordinarily be treated as confidential.
However, the payments themselves were not obtained through confidential information or a leak.
**The €19,591 in security allowances is contained in Waterford City and County Council’s publicly available Register of Councillors Payments for January to December 2025, which records payments made to elected members in addition to their standard remuneration.**
Click the above link for a full breakdown of payments to councillors for 2025.
As a result, the expenditure was already a matter of public record before it was reported by local media.
The publicly available register identifies the amounts paid under the security allowance heading, while the councillors themselves subsequently confirmed to WLR what the allowances had been used for.
Cllr O’Riordan also spoke about the personal abuse and threats councillors can face.
He said he had previously received threats to his own safety and that of his family.
He said he had reported the threats to An Garda Síochána and described the experience as a “horrible time”.
He also defended councillors who choose to strengthen their personal security, saying different elected members could have different security requirements.
“If they feel safer, that’s up to them,” he said.
Dispute over social media comments
The issue of the security allowances also led to a separate exchange involving Sinn Féin councillor John Hearne and Fine Gael Councillor Lola O’Sullivan.
Cllr Hearne had previously criticised the use of the security allowance on social media, questioning whether spending €10,000 on measures such as a gate represented good value for money.
His comments subsequently prompted criticism from Cllr O’Sullivan during the council meeting.
O’Sullivan raised concerns about comments made by members of the public beneath Cllr Hearne’s social media post, including highly derogatory descriptions of herself and Cllr Nugent.
She also questioned Cllr Hearne’s decision to indicate approval of some of those comments on the platform, including liking some of the comments in question.
Cllr Hearne rejected any suggestion that he intended to disrespect either councillor.
He said he had extensive experience of dealing with intimidation and security issues, including having previously suffered death threats and having his car burned out.
He said his criticism was specifically about how he believed the security allowance was being spent, rather than being directed personally at any councillor.
Cllr Hearne said he believed €10,000 for a gate was excessive and argued that the council should instead work more closely with An Garda Síochána on measures aimed at tackling those responsible for threats against councillors.
He also criticised the existing system for claiming expenses, arguing that the council should have a more transparent procurement process involving multiple tenders.
He concluded by saying:
“The allegation that I would disrespect any member, that’s absolute nonsense. I respect every member here and always have done.”
