Funding deficit hits Kilrush Town Council

TOWN councils might as well be declared defunct such is their low level of funding, according to a long-time local public representative.

Speaking at a special meeting of Kilrush Town Council last Thursday, convened to discuss An Bórd Snip Nua’s recommendation to abolish all town councils, Councillor Tom Prendeville said, “Local government is on a life support machine for as long as I know it”.

He cited the abolishment of domestic charges in 1977 as the time when sufficient funding dried up for local government. Local government was established in 1885 in Kilrush.

“Without adequate funding, we’re going nowhere. If things continue as they are at the moment, we’d probably be better off being abolished,” Councillor Prendeville stated.

However, Councillor Stephen O’Gorman said that he believed local government offered a decent service, even if money is scarce for vital services.

“I’d still say the local people give a good service to the people; I wouldn’t panic over it,” he suggested.

Mayor of Kilrush, Marian McMahon Jones, resolutely opposed the possibility that Kilrush Town Council, along with every town council nationwide, might be scrapped.

“We do need to oppose it pretty strongly. It’s not abolishing they should be, it’s expanding,” Mayor McMahon Jones said.

Councillor O’Gorman said bankers or builders involved in losing huge amounts of money were not held accountable. “If John Corry (Kilrush Town Clerk) makes a mistake, he gets the guillotine over maybe €200. If someone makes a mistake over €750m, there’s nothing about it,” he claimed.

Earlier in the meeting, John Corry pointed to a number of local initiatives as proof that Kilrush Town Council is a viable body. He referred to the John Paul Estate regeneration programme, the restoration of the Vandeleur Walled Gardens, Kilrush’s double gold medal Tidy Towns’ success, the Christmas lights programme and the council’s role in tourism development as examples of the local government’s effectiveness in the town.

Councillor Tom Clyne asked if a referendum would have to be held to decide if town councils were to be abolished.

Reading from the Irish Constitution, Councillor Mairéad O’Brien suggested that a referendum would have to take place.

The meeting unanimously backed Councillor Tom Prendeville’s motion, which unequivocally condemned the recommendation in the McCarthy Report to get rid of town councils.

The motion urged the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to bring forward measures to guarantee the constitutional amendment approved in 1999 relating to the enhanced status of local government in Ireland.

“The council further recommends that the minister addresses the adequate funding requirement of all local authorities in Ireland,” the motion, which was seconded by Councillor Clyne, added.