Kildare County Council receives lower national funding per capita 'than any other county'
Senator Fiona O'Loughlin (FF) was speaking in the Seanad this week
Kildare County Council receives lower national funding per capita than any other county in Ireland, according to a Fianna Fáil Senator.
Senator Fiona O'Loughlin was speaking in the Seanad this week on the release and celebration of the 1926 census and its 100th anniversary.
Speaking of the 1926 census, Senator O'Loughlin said it gave “a small window into the country we had and all those who lived there.”
She said that of 10 centres chosen to house the exhibition, she was “happy” Naas Library and Cultural Centre was one of them.
Senator O'Loughlin said it is an “excellent service” for the local communities in those areas, and shows what living in a newly independent Ireland was like 100 years ago.
She said: “One of the most interesting facts that came out was that Kildare, the county I am proud to be from and live in, has seen a population increase of 327% since 1926, from 58,000 people to nearly 248,000.
“That is by far the biggest growth in any county. I thank Councillor Suzanne Doyle for putting some of these figures together. Bearing that increase in population in mind, it is a fact that 100 years later, Kildare County Council receives lower national funding per capita than any other county.”
According to Senator O'Loughlin, Kildare County Council receives approximately €715 per person annually.
To put that into context, she said, Dublin City Council receives €1,900 and Leitrim receives €1,256.
Kildare, she pointed out, also has a high number of large towns, and is the fourth most populated county, after Dublin, Galway and Cork.
The Fianna Fáil Senator concluded: “We need autonomous and equitable funding. We need resources based on the metric of need and sustainable growth, which allows for strategic planning and development.
“We need to have the Minister in to speak about what we have learned from 100 years ago and how we need to move forward.”