Waterford councillors express doubt but maintain support for Mount Congreve

A number of Waterford councillors have expressed doubt but maintained their support for Mount Congreve.

The gardens were the subject of much debate at the November plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.

Ahead of the meeting, Mount Congreve requested that the council underwrite an overdraft facility for the next three years.

The gardens also sought an advance on next year’s subvention of up to €150,000.

The council’s elected members had been briefed on the requests at a workshop the previous week, at which chairperson Des Whelan and chief executive Sara Dolan were in attendance.

READ NEXT: Waterford people ‘furious’ over Ferrybank Shopping Centre decision as legal case begins

Outlining the requests for financial aid, council Chief Executive Sean McKeown said: “Mount Congreve is experiencing cash flow issues and difficulties at the moment.

“There’s a combination of factors that have come to play, particularly this year. The OPW subvention has been delayed and a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed with the OPW, so they are very much still committed to the project.

“In fact, they have increased their subvention for the next four years to the term of the MOU that was signed over the summer.

“The latest of the accommodation units that were delivered have been delayed which seriously impacted on a major revenue stream that they have.

“But they’ll be available next year for the full year. So a range of factors have come to play that are causing cash flow issues at the moment.”

Mr McKeown urged the elected members to vote in favour of granting both requests.

Independent councillor Joe Kelly asked whether votes on the two requests would be taken separately or together.

Mr McKeown responded by saying that the councillors would only be “fooling themselves” if the matters were treated as separate.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin councillor Joeanne Bailey proposed an amendment to the request for an overdraft facility.

Cllr Bailey requested that the overdraft facility be granted for one year, rather than three. This would allow councillors to review the situation this time next year.

Independent councillor David Daniels said that an overdraft was “an extensive form of finance” which was only meant for the short-term.

He added that the council needed to “stop hiding behind the seasonal argument”.

Fellow independent councillor Donal Barry said he would support Mount Congreve’s requests because the council “are so deep in it”.

He continued: “Mount Congreve is a national attraction but we have to be honest, it’s not a local operation.

“It’s a 70-acre heritage estate and that requires national management, funding and the expertise there.

“I think this council has already done its part. We supported the restoration there, helped reopen the gardens and gave Mount Congreve a fresh start. We’re not a heritage trust, we’re a local authority within its means.”

Cllr Barry gave the example of Kilkenny Castle, which is managed by the OPW and has attracted over half a million visitors this year. He said he would like to see Mount Congreve managed in a similar way.

“I’d like to see the council begin negotiations with the OPW to take back Mount Congreve under national management.

“Let’s be clear, it’s not about abandoning Mount Congreve, it’s about securing the future of it.”

“The OPW can provide stability and professional needs, while the council focuses on the core services and communities that depend on us,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Seamus Ryan, said he “fully supported” what was being asked of the council.

Mayor Ryan said: “I think as a local authority, we should be supporting gardens, we should be supporting museums and we should be supporting libraries.

“Otherwise we become a local authority that fixes potholes or does housing repairs only. We’re bigger than that, we’re more important than that, I believe.

“I’ve always believed that museums, libraries and gardens are a core part of the services being offered by Waterford City and County Council.”

Fine Gael councillor Pat Nugent, who is on the board of Mount Congreve, expressed similar sentiments.

Cllr Nugent said that Mount Congreve was “far from world class” when it was taken over by the council and it could take 10 years to reach that level.

He added that to attract visitors to the gardens is the “big conundrum” and that it is “not a simple solution”.

Sinn Féin councillor Jim Griffin expressed doubts over the business plan of Cllr Nugent and his fellow board members.

Cllr Griffin said that councillors should give the board one more year to get their business plan off the ground.

He continued: “I know Sara [Dolan] didn’t take on board a lot of what we as councillors asked because she said it’s not in the business plan.

“I genuinely think if they don’t get over the line this next time, they need to listen to us. We all want to see Mount Congreve a success but it might not be able to go directly down the road they see.

“That’s no fault of theirs, but they have to hold their hand up and say if it’s not working, they need to listen to us for a new business plan and see if they can get it over the line.”

After much deliberation, councillors first voted on Cllr Bailey’s proposed amendment to the overdraft facility.

However, this proposal was defeated, with 10 voting in favour and 18 voting against.

A combined vote then took place on the two original requests, with 27 voting in favour and one voting against.

As a result, Waterford City and County Council will now underwrite Mount Congreve’s overdraft facility as requested.

The council will also provide an advance on next year’s subvention of up to €150,000.