Paperwork hitch may mean board of Leisureland illegal

A crunch meeting of the board of Leisureland was adjourned abruptly after it was revealed that forms from the directors elected last June were not returned to the Companies Registration Office, which may make the formation of the current board illegal.

In what is yet another mishap for the public swimming pool and leisure complex, it emerged that the management of Leisureland had failed to inform the Companies Office of the change of directors within the 14-day period as required under the Companies Act.

The explanatory notes on Form B10 state: “Unless the document, duly corrected, is relodged in the CRO within 14 days, it will be deemed to have never been delivered to the CRO.”

The meeting was adjourned until legal advice could be sought.

Cllr Pearce Flannery stated that all meetings, decisions and policy matters discussed since June’s AGM could be deemed invalid.

Many board members had been prepared to resign at last Friday’s meeting in protest at a decision by the Leisureland executive – manager Paddy Martin and Galway City Council director of services, Tom Connell – to ignore a proposal from the new board to implement a price freeze for clubs for six months.

The facility has been closed since last December after it was flooded in the big storms. It was due to reopen next month after extensive renovations – albeit with a hefty price increase for the public and sports clubs.

However board member, Vincent Finn of Swim Ireland, had warned that at least five clubs would not return if the price hikes were imposed and teaching hours removed – costing the facility €240,000 in lost revenue.

Cllr Flannery, who was elected onto the new board, said the paperwork omission was yet another example of the ineptitude and shoddy corporate governance of the facility.

“I was initially shocked at how easily the Executive dismissed the opinions of the board as being of little importance but now I realise the management and executive tasked with running the facility are actually in contravention of their legal obligations under the Companies Act,” he stated.

He revealed he had reported the company to the Director of Corporate Enforcement for what he labelled irregularities in corporate governance.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.