Speaking after a meeting between Oireachtas members from Galway with officials from the Department of Housing, Planning & Local Government, where it was acknowledged that Galway has not been getting its fair share of funding from successive governments, the Galway West – South Mayo Senator says:
“Galway County Council has been sold short on funding for decades, due to an unfair base calculation made almost twenty years ago. This is to blame for the huge lack of human and financial resources in our local authority, which translates into lack of funding for roads, house repairs, maintenance works and the like.
“Figures given to us by local authority management show the stark contrast in funding between Galway County Council and other comparable local authorities. They show that even though we have a bigger population we get between eighteen and thirty million euros less funding than Mayo, Kerry, Donegal and Tipperary.
“We have substantially fewer staff as well, more than three hundred less than Kerry County Council, even though we have a larger population base than all these other similar local authorities.
“On a per capita basis we are left in the halfpenny place as well. The budget per capita for Galway County Council is a meagre €588 per head of population. This compares to €834 for Donegal, €851 for Tipperary, €858 for Kerry and €939 for Mayo. This really highlights the huge crisis in resources we have and it has been happening for a long time.
“The Department officials acknowledged that there is an unfair distribution of funding that needs to be rectified, but they are not planning to do that until a review of the Local Property Tax is finished and this would not kick in until 2020.
“Galway County Council is completely starved of resources and the government must step in with extra interim funding now, to ensure that they can maintain the basic essential services. The people of Galway can no longer be treated as second class citizens.
“It is an indictment of successive governments that Galway has been starved of monies that we should have received for years and that situation must stop. Our government TD’s need to secure a commitment from Ministers Eoghan Murphy and Paschal Donohue to provide extra funding for this year and to ensure this happens without delay”.
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Caithfidh an Rialtas an éagóir stairiúil ó thaobh maoinithe de atá déanta ar Chomhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe a cheartú, le ciste tarrthála i mbliana, chun cinntiú gur féidir leis an Údarás Áitiúil leanúint le seirbhísí bunúsacha a sholáthar do phobail an cheantair, dar leis an Seanadóir Neamhspleách, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.
Ag labhairt do i ndiaidh do bhaill Oireachtais as Gaillimh bualadh le h-oifigigh ón Roinn Tithíochta, Pleanáil & Rialtas Áitiúil, áit ar admhaíodh nach bhfuil sciar chothrom dhá fháil ag Gaillimh as cistí maoinithe ó Rialtas i ndiaidh Rialtais, deir Seanadóir Ghaillimh Thiar – Maigh Eo theas:
“Tá Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe fágtha ar an ngannchuid ó thaobh airgeadais de le scór bliain ar a laghad de bharr bun chóras mí-fabhtach a úsáideadh an t-am sin agus ó shin le maoiniú a dháileadh. Seo an chúis an bhfuil easpa ollmhór acmhainní daonna agus maoinithe inár údarás áitiúil, rud a chiallaíonn go bhfuil ganntanas airgid ann do bhóithre, feabhsúcháin tithíochta, oibreacha cothabhála agus go leor eile.
“Taispeánann figiúir a chuir an bhainistíocht ar fáil dúinn an chodarsnacht lom idir an maoiniú a fhaigheann Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe agus údaráis áitiúla, comparáideacha eile. Léiríonn siad, cé go bhfuil daonra i bhfad níos mó againn, go bhfaigheann muid idir ocht déag agus tríocha cúig milliún euro níos lú ná Maigh Eo, Ciarraí, Dún na nGall agus Tiobraid Árainn.
“Tá i bhfad níos lú baill foirne againn chomh maith, tuairim is trí chéad duine níos lú ná Comhairle Chontae Chiarraí, in ainneoin níos mó daoine a bheith ian gcónaí i gcontae s’againne ná na contaetha eile seo.
“Tá muid fágtha ar an ngannchuid ó thaobh mhaoiniú in aghaidh an chloigeann de freisin. Níl ach buiséad per capita de €588 in aghaidh an duine againn. Cur seo i gcomparáid le €834 i nDún na nGall, €851 do Thiobraid Árainn, €858 do Chiarraí agus €939 do Mhaigh Eo. Léiríonn seo an ghéarchéim acmhainní atá againn agus tá sé seo ag tarlú le fada.
“Admhaíonn oifigigh na Roinne nach bhfuil roinnt na maoinithe cothrom agus go gcaithfear sin a cheartú, ach ní tharlóidh sin nó go mbeidh athbhreithniú déanta ar chóras roinnte an Cháin Mhaoine Áitiúil, rud nach mbeidh toradh air go dtí 2020.
“Idir an dá linn, tá Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe fágtha ar an trá fholamh ceal acmhainní agus tá géarghá le ciste tarrthála láithreach, le gur féidir leo na bun seirbhísí a choinneáil ag imeacht. Ní féidir muintir na Gaillimhe a fhágáil in ait na leathphingine feasta.
“Damnú ar Rialtas i ndiaidh Rialtas is ea é go bhfuil an éagóir seo déanta ar Ghaillimh, is muid fágtha ar an ngannchuid acu le blianta fada agus caithfear stop a chuir leis sin. Caithfidh Teachtaí Dála an Rialtais gealltanas a fháil ón na hAirí Eoghan Murphy agus Paschal Donohue go gcuirfear maoiniú breise ar fáil i mbliana agus a chinntiú go dtarlaíonn seo gan a thuilleadh moille”.