CASH-STRAPPED local authorities have been told to crack down on defaulters as figures show more than €500 million is owed in development levies, rent and rates arrears and unpaid refuse charges.

An Bord Snip's long-anticipated report into cuts in public spending includes recommendations for large-scale job cuts of 17,300 in the public sector, cuts of 5% to all social welfare benefits, an increase in hospital charges and cuts of €746m in the education sector.

Investigators will scour unusual electricity patterns on ESB bills to prove holiday home owners are evading the second homes tax, it was revealed today.

AN ICONIC cathedral and leading tourist attraction is poised to get a €1 million council grant to help with repairs.

THE Education Minister’s abrupt discontinuation of the school summer works scheme is a serious “betrayal” of pupils, parents and boards of management, Labour claimed yesterday.

A woman was in serious condition in hospital today after she and a teenage girl were thrown from a high-speed funfair ride.

A SCHOOL which has virtually eliminated its waste output and grows its own vegetables was presented with its first green flag yesterday.

AGRICULTURE and Food Minister Mary Coughlan has confirmed that 109 of the 925 applications for afforestation grant aid being processed by the Forest Service at the end of November were in respect of areas proposed as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for the hen harrier.

COUNCILLORS from all sides of the political divide are uniting in an all-out bid to extend the boundary of one of the South-East’s busiest seaside resorts.

WESTPORT yesterday bridged a five-year gap to take the title as Ireland’s tidiest town for 2006.

HOMEOWNERS planning a major clear out now have a unique opportunity to see if any of those old photographs, books, ornaments and other objects lying around their house or sitting on their mantelpieces for years are worth more than their sentimental value.

Mortgage lending rose by €2.1bn in March, the second highest increase on record, it was revealed today.

WATERFORD’S courts facilities are to receive a major revamp with plans to double the capacity of the existing courthouse complex in the city.

EVERYONE with an interest in the welfare of rural Ireland must be aware of the catastrophic implications of the nitrates directive.

IT would seem that “archaeological significance” carries a different meaning in different areas of this little island.

Statoil is encouraging its customers to resolve to be more environmentally aware this year through a partnership with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which is aimed at heightening awareness of climate change.