Council services to be hit by funding cut

SERVICES provided by Galway County Council may face significant cuts, following news that the local authority’s allocation from central Government is to be reduced in the second half of the year.

 

In a circular that was presented to the councillors at their meeting last Friday, news of the cut in funding was outlined. However, while the circular stated there would be a reduction in funding of slightly over €3.1 million, it is understood that the cutback will only be applied to the funding that the council was due to receive in the second half of the year. This means that, in reality, the cut will be €779,835 for the third quarter and could be the same again for the last three months of the year.

The cutback follows the lower than anticipated level of payment of the household charge. Speaking to The Clare Champion, Galway County Councillor Bridie Willers called on those who haven’t already done so to pay the €100 charge.

“The bottom line is that while I believe a lot of people are in very hard financial situations and are strapped, there are people out there who have postponed paying this, waiting to see how things will go. There are also a percentage out there who are against this and who will never pay. The consequence of this is a cut in services.

“It is not specified yet but there are projects like roads and so on that were earmarked to have work done on them and some of these will have to be shelved. The money is just not there. We are appealing to people to pay the charge so we can recoup some of the money, which is being withheld at the end of this quarter.”

Councillor Michael Maher said there was some intense debate at last Friday’s meeting. “Some of the councillors there had told people not to pay it and they would have got a grilling,” he commented.

He said while some people can’t afford the €100 charge, he feels there is a cohort who claim they cannot pay the tax but clearly can.

“Some people will tell you that they can’t afford to pay it and they’d be the same people you’d see drinking in the pub.”

Councillor Maher said Galway has had a relatively good level of payment and he expects more people to pay in the coming weeks.

“Galway has a good record. I think there’s about 56% compliance at the moment and since we’ve gone on the airwaves about it, some people have said they just forgot to pay or didn’t get around to it. More reminders are being sent around to people explaining how they benefit from it when they do pay.”

Councillor Gerry Finnerty said he doesn’t know how services would be impacted but said it is potentially quite serious.

“All of the roads programmes and everything are in jeopardy,” he remarked. Councillor Finnerty also said he wouldn’t be surprised if the council members are recalled in August for an emergency meeting.

Independent Councillor Pat Hynes said it is too early to say how the cut will impact on services. “We’ll have to wait until the manager comes back to us and hear her proposals on how to deal with the loss,” he said.

However, he said the potential consequences are significant. “Housing grants for people with disabilities and wheelchair access grants are very helpful to people when they are approved. It’s possible they’ll be affected. Don’t forget the roads and the work of the outdoor staff. There are far-reaching, detrimental possibilities,” he said.