Galway: household charge non-payment lead to reduction in services

Galway County Council has identified a substantial number of programmes which must now be withheld in order to allow the Council achieve a balanced budget for 2012 following the recent notification of a reduction of €3.1 million in the Council’s Local Government Grant for the current year.

The reduction in funding to the Council reflects the level of compliance achived to date in relation to payment of the Household Charge and in particular the fact that approximately 44% of the Householders in the County of Galway have yet to pay their Household Charge.

‘The proposed reduction in allocation will result in unpalatable cut to Local Services and communities.’ says Ger Mullarkey, the Council’s Head of Finance. The programmes identified to date as having to be withheld include:

Suspension of housing grants to older people and people with disabilities
Withholding grants for various community initiatives including, burial ground maintenance, amenity grants, community and enterprise grants
Suspension of expenditure on library books
Reduction in resources across a broad range of front-line service areas including:
Litter control
Housing Maintenance
Road maintenance including pothole repairs and verge trimming
Bridge maintenance
Maintenance of public conveniences
Suspension of land drainage works
Funding for tourism projects
Funding to community projects (RAPID) in Tuam and Ballinasloe
Potential delay in recently announced Major Capital Water Services projects.
Fire Service

The council regrets the need to introduce these cuts and in particular the impact such cuts will have on the 56% of households who have paid their Household Charge. However, in the absence of compliance by some householders with the legal requirement to pay the Household Charge, there is no alternative.

The letter received from the Department of Environment, Community & Local Government does however suggest that local authorities may progressively regain their original level of funding if those households who have not yet paid their Household Charge do so.

At a recent meeting of Galway County Council, the Councillors passed a motion requesting those people who have not yet paid the Household Charge to do so now.

The Council acknowledges that more than 56% of the Householders in Galway have paid the charge, which is much appreciated and urges those householders who have not yet paid, to do so immediately, in order that the impact of the cuts on local services and communities can be minimised.