Council hit by funding cuts

THE Government has been urged to reverse a decision to significantly cut the amount of annual funding it has allocated to Dublin City Council this year.

Ballyfermot based Sinn Fein activist Daithí Doolan noted that the Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan TD revealed recently that his department is giving Dublin City Council an annual grant of

?¬54.8 million this year.

Mr Doolan said the information was contained in a reply to a parliamentary question asked by Meath TD Peadar Tobin (SF).

Mr Doolan said the cut in what is known as the general purpose grant was a

“serious blow to the citizens of this city

?.

He pointed out that the council received some

?¬94 million from the Department of the Environment in 2009. Last year the department allocated a general purpose grant of e78 million to the city council.

“These cuts will affect people right across Dublin,

? Mr Doolan said.

“It will be felt by those who use the parks and those who want their streets kept clean. All these services have been greatly reduced because of funding cuts.

“This Government must reverse these cuts immediately,

? he added.

“Citizens deserve the services they pay for in their taxes.

?

A spokesperson for the Department of the Environment said:

“We are satisfied that the general purpose grant allocation provided for 2012, together with the income available from other sources, will enable Dublin City Council to provide a reasonable level of services to their customers.

?

He said that the revenue base of local Government continues to be broadened with the introduction in 2009 of a charge on all non-principal private residences, as well as proceeds from the recently introduced household charge and a proposed valuation based property tax.