Fears for future of town councils

KILRUSH Town Councillor Tom Prendeville has warned that the future of the town council may be at stake if members “fail to grasp the seriousness of the situation we find ourselves in”.

Speaking at last week’s monthly meeting of Kilrush Town Council, the Cappa Fianna Fáil councillor said the council should liase with local agencies, including Kilrush Chamber, the West Clare Task Force and ESB Moneypoint to establish an innovation fund, which would assist local entrepreneurs in creating sustainable employment in Kilrush and West Clare.
“We can all expect that Budget 2011, for this council, will be a hair-shirt affair. This council will be faced with many stark choices, some of which will be hugely unpopular and unpalatable,” he predicted.
“We will do well to sustain the same level of services we provided for in 2010. I would even go so far as to say that the very future of small councils like Kilrush will be at stake if we fail to grasp the seriousness of the situation we find ourselves in,” he added.
However, Councillor Prendeville expressed his belief that the establishment of an innovation fund would be a proactive step.
“One of the ways we might achieve this is by establishing a fund to assist entrepreneurs progress business and enterprise ideas that will create sustainable employment locally. I have requested that we meet with the aforementioned organisations to see how best we can achieve our objective,” he said.
In addition, Councillor Prendeville also asked that Kilrush people support local business during Christmas 2010.
“Kilrush and West Clare people will answer our call to shop locally again this Christmas and help protect local employment levels. Local businesses are making a special effort to offer competitive value on merchandise. Shoppers are also asked to purchase products made in Ireland,” he stressed.
“By taking care of one another in a practical way, we ensure the survival of our local community and all the services that have been built up over the past decades.
“The time has come for consumers to show practical local patriotism,” he concluded.