Innovative funding methods revealed in Shell grant scheme

mayo | environment | feature

Thursday March 27, 2008 22:28

by Hud Hastings

Shell recently announced the names of local groups in Erris who they are going to fund, as part of the deal they arrived with government appointed mediator Peter Cassels in 2006.

Cassells, who admitted that there was no basis for mediation while Shell insisted on an onshore production pipeline and refinery, recommended that the company should pay money into the local community in an effort to turn public opinion in favour of the scheme.

Related Links: More on Corrib gas project

Of the groups favoured with grants, only a handful were from the local parish of Kilcommon, which would bear the brunt of the environmental disaster that Shell's scheme would entail. Of these, local people laughed at some of the more obviously silly and fictional "groups", but people were genuinely puzzled by the inclusion of the Dooncarton Landslide Committee. This group, which is widely respected in the local area, has been working to rebuild the local cemetery which was badly damaged in 2003, when heavy rains swept part of the hillside down into the bay.

Of all the people in Kilcommon, this committee know the danger of installing a natural gas production pipeline in such an unstable landscape. So how did Shell persuade the group to accept their cash?

Of course there is nothing on the grant form that says that you have to support Shell's scheme, but it would seem strange that a Committee which know well the impact of Shell's plans will have on the landscape should even consider giving the impression that the Corrib scheme is acceptable to them.

It seems that Shell got around the problem by simply making a deal with a local supporter, who chairs the committee, Gerry McDonnell. Rather than approaching the group as a whole, and going through any sort of procedure, Shell simply paid the cheque to this man, who accepted it without any discussion with anyone. He declared this week:
"This application for funding was not put to the committee because I knew there was no point”.
It seems he didn't even pay the money into the group's bank account, instead he says he has paid it to Mayo County Council's account so that they can pay the money towards repairs.

It is not clear if Mr McDonnell was paid a fee by Shell for this service, or if he simply did took the initiative to help the company for some other reason. Shell have offered cash to members of the public in the Kilcommon area in return for support, and the company was very happy to be able to claim that the Donncaron Landslide Committee taking their money.

In the light of the revelation that the funding was actually accepted by one individual, the company has said it will review the allocation of the grant.

Gerry Sheerin, treasure of the Committee, said he was sadly forced to resign when he heard the money was coming from Shell, who never offered any support for local people before they were forced to. He said "We’re not going to be used by Shell, who are manipulating voluntary groups to buy local support. This idea of funding for local groups only came when their backs were against the wall and we don’t want any part of it.”

Of the seven people who were on the committee, five have now resigned and the Dooncarton Landslide Committee has been wound up.

Connacht Telegraph Article here:

Landslide group on the rocks
Read the full article here (free with registration) www.con-telegraph.ie/
The Dooncarton Landslide Committee, set up in the aftermath of the devastating 2003 north Mayo landslide, is set to be dissolved amidst a storm of controversy.

It has emerged the majority of the committee have resigned over a €10,000 funding allocation from Shell E&P Ireland under its local grants scheme to erect safety barriers along a dangerous stretch of road overlooking the cliffs of Broadhaven Bay between the villages of Glengad and Seanbhaile.