Nenagh district council is facing budget cuts of €375,000 for 2022

It is estimated that Nenagh Municipal District will have around €375,000 less to spend next year than in 2021, according to budgetary figures given to local councillors at their October meeting.

The current figure is €12,728,623 but the indicative figure for next year is €12,353,521, according to figures released by finance officer Liam McCarthy.

The district’s General Municipal Allowance (GMA), however, is up from €225,236 to €225,507. The two biggest areas affected are housing and building, which would see funding fall from €1,153,067 to €800,000, and recreation and amenity, which would go from €518,881 to €491,000.

Nenagh MD cathaoirleach Cllr Michael O’Meara says housing funding should be either maintained or increased. He said that while good work was being done, the drop in funding was a “major concern”.

Cllr Phyll Bugler was concerned over the drop in recreation and amenity funding.

“We are still going to have people outdoors next year,” she said in a reference to Covid regulations.

“Keeping areas clean was a difficult task. Ballina Tidy Towns couldn’t handle the amount of rubbish last year in the park,” she said.

Mr McCarthy said the exact figures would only be known when the council budget was agreed in November.

“If there is a greater need for funding, it will be allocated,” he said.

The proposed budget was proposed by Cllr Joe Hannigan and seconded by Cllr Fiona Bonfield.