According to a source, Cllr Clear's decision to join the party was “common sense” because his views align with the party's "centre-right" positioning of the political spectrum.
Naas councillor Bill Clear is joining the political party Independent Ireland.
Cllr Clear was first elected to Kildare County Council for the Social Democrats in 2019.
He resigned from the party in 2024 and has since served as an Independent councillor in the Naas Municipal District.
During that time, he has been vocal on housing and planning matters, including criticisms of the affordability thresholds applied to recent housing schemes in Naas.
He has also been critical over the reopening of Ukrainian accommodation at Floods Cross due to the cost of dismantling the site and then rebuilding it, as well as calling for the deportation of family members of Jozef Puska.
Kfm has learned that Cllr Clear had discussions with members of a number of political parties over recent months, including Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.
He met with Independent Ireland representatives several times before deciding to join.
He also had a number of discussions with Independent Ireland Cllr Ger Dunne, who was elected to the Naas Local Electoral Area (LEA) in the 2024 local elections.
According to a source, Cllr Clear's decision to join the party was “common sense” because his views align with the party's "centre-right" positioning on the political spectrum.
The party was formally established in 2023 and is currently represented in the Dáil by four TDs.
Ciaran Mullooly MEP, who was elected in the Midlands–North-West Constituency, is also a member of Independent Ireland.
Independent Ireland states that it supports planning reform to speed up housing delivery, a reduction in public expenditure it considers unnecessary, and changes to how the State manages immigration and accommodation provision.
Cllr Clear is expected to take on spokesperson roles within the party, including as a spokesperson on defence and equestrian.
A formal public announcement of the move is expected tomorrow afternoon.
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