Financial allocation for this town in Tipperary is only 'a pittance'
Draft Budgetary Plan for the Clonmel district is adopted
Clonmel, as a town, had suffered since the abolition of its Corporation/Borough Council ten years ago, and it would continue to suffer unless that decision is reversed.
This was stated by Cllr Pat English at a meeting of Clonmel Borough District.
He made his remarks when the meeting was told that the financial allocation for the Clonmel district for 2025 is €202,723.
Sarah O’Callaghan, from the finance section of Tipperary County Council, told Cllr Niall Dennehy that allocations for the municipal districts were based on population. Clonmel’s was the second smallest allocation, behind Carrick-on-Suir.
Cllr Dennehy said he couldn’t support the adoption of this allocation in principle, and he described what the town is being offered now as “a pittance”. The discretionary spend for council members, when the town had a Corporation/Borough Council ten years ago, was €20 million-plus.
He also claimed that €145 million in capital funding, and a further €30 million cash in hand, had been transferred to Nenagh when the Borough Councils were abolished and North and South Tipperary County Councils amalgamated.
District Mayor Michael Murphy said they were all in agreement about the changes that had happened in local government in 2014. However, they couldn’t change the past, and independent councillors couldn’t change the situation.
Cllr Pat English said it was the decision of Fine Gael, and not the Independents, to abolish the local authorities ten years ago.
Sarah O’Callaghan also told the meeting that the General Municipal Allocation (GMA) Funding for 2025 is €1.381 million, over €1 million of which came from the decision to increase the Local Property Tax.
There was also an allocation of €350,000 that was made available every year.
The proposal to approve the Draft Budgetary Plan for the Clonmel district was supported by the Mayor and Cllrs Siobhán Ambrose, John FitzGerald and Richie Molloy.
It was opposed by Cllrs Dennehy and English.