Council passes €4.2 billion budget for 2025

Dublin City Council has passed a budget of €4.2 billion for the year 2025.

The budget was agreed upon by the Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour and Green coalition on Dublin City Council.

€2.8 billion of the budget will go towards housing, with €691 million being dedicated to road transport and safety.

The budget will see the redevelopment of Parnell Square.

Fine Gael councillor Ray McAdam “let us not pretend that this is a perfect budget – for it isn’t – but at the same time it as a budget that is worth in excess of  €4.2 billion.

“It is a budget that is unloved and devoid of anything controversial, but it is a budget that will enable us to deliver for Dubliners over the next 12 months.”

He said the budget would go towards funding roads and footpaths improvements across the city.

With Fine Gael in control of Dublin City Council for the first time in a decade, he said the budget process “provides us with a clearer picture of how the permanent government and the civil service see local authorities; they see us as excrement on their shoes, a little quango they can boss around.”

With the meeting taking place on the Monday before the general election, McAdam said “whoever is elected, they must know we must demand and expect better; we are not a quango to be bossed around.”

Sinn Féin councillor Seamus McGrattan said, “it may not be the best budget we’ve ever produced, it is a balanced budget which is an achievement in this current climate.”

“I do think we need to make points about the model of funding for Dublin City Council; the current model of funding has a negative impact and we all need to work to change that going forward.”

“Every year, we have a debate and argue over the local property tax which is only 2% of our income. The other stuff, we just accept.”

He said that Dublin City Council being self-financed is having an impact on the services the council is able to deliver and this needs to be rectified.

Green councillor and Deputy Lord Mayor Donna Cooney said she by and large welcomed the provisions of the budget, but said it’s “not ideal.”

“It’s not the budget we’d like to put forward,” she said.

Over the course of the meeting, it was noted by councillors of various backgrounds that elected representatives had little to no input into the budget process with the decision being largely made by council management.

Cooney said the budget process was a “bitter pill,” but the council would not be able to function without it.

“It’s not easy to do with the restraints we have.”

Fianna Fáil councillor Daryl Barron said “I think it is important for us to have a balanced budget; it’s not for political grandstanding. We have a duty as councillors to pass a budget. It is critical to lobby the next government and the Custom House for additional resources for this council.”

“We know, as a collective, this city is underresourced. We are one year on from the shocking disaster that happened in this city and we need additional funding to support the work we need to do.”

He said that once the dust has settled from the general election, it is “critical” that the Finance Committee on Dublin City Council lobbies the new government to secure more funding and support.

“Our council is underresourced and underpinned. Our council deserves better.”

Labour councillor Dermot Lacey said, “it’s hard to believe this is a budget for a capital city of country that has 30 billion sitting in a bank vault waiting to be spent.”

“There was a time where then there was a real political engagement around the budget and I think it’s really sad that has stopped. Nevertheless, we welcome some elements have been improved.”

“It is shameful that the council has to bear the brunt of the government’s failure in relation to homelessness; they caused it, and they should pay for it.”

Lacey criticised the lack of input elected representatives had in the actual budget process, dubbing the budget as a whole “something the Custom House will love.”

People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy said it was “striking” that the council is “always firefighting” because of the failures of the government to properly fund the council.

“We are having to fight a fire on behalf of the failure of the Department Of Housing,” he said, in relation to the homeless crisis.

He said the central government has failed to avail of funding from the Department of Health to fund ambulance services, a service, he says is “something people in this city rely on.”

Dublin City Council boss Richard Shakespeare said “we are at a bit of an impasse” in relation to ambulance funding as there is no contract between the council and the HSE.

“I do believe that the HSE have completely disrespected the competence and professionalism of Dublin Fire Brigade and the paramedics. I will continue to chase it.”

The draft report of the budget noted that the main expenditures for Dublin City Council over the next 12 months will be street cleaning, housing services, and staff.