Cuts in Cork funding will affect community projects

CUTS in Government funding to Cork County Council will impact on the development of some children’s playgrounds and community projects next year.

County manager Maurice Moloney said he had been informed by Junior Minister for the Environment, Batt O'Keeffe, that the rate support grant would be increased by 6.5% next year, and the accounts were prepared with that figure in mind.

Mr Moloney added that officials from the department had forecast an increase of 6.7% to 7%, but the council has now been informed it was just 4.9%. This left a shortfall in the budget of nearly 1 million and to compensate the council will have to raid its savings usually used to aid community schemes, such as playgrounds.

Cllr Paula Desmond, leader of the Labour Party in the council, launched a series of attacks on Minister O'Keeffe and Fianna Fail before instructing her colleagues to walk out of the meeting in protest.

"The reality is we have a bigger shortfall in the rate support grant in Cork than in any other county. Kildare and Meath are getting more because the people there hammered Fianna Fail in the by-election.

"Now we're having to raid our piggy-bank. We're not willing to be part of any process to shield this government," Cllr Desmond said.

Her counterpart in Fine Gael, Cllr Peter Kelly said: "We're the last county in the country for rate support grants and fourth lowest when it comes to funding per person.

"We're getting a genuinely bad deal."

He also suggested that contributions to projects such as a stake park in Ballincollig, where Minister O'Keeffe lives, should be withdrawn by the council.

A spokesman for Minister O'Keeffe said he had expected the national figure for Rate Support Grants to be around 6.5%.

Councillors then agreed with Cllr Kelly's suggestion to invite all 20 TDs in the city and county to a meeting to discuss the lack of proper funding.

The Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Michael Creed, said it was unprecedented in the history of the council that the estimates didn't balance because of the rate support grant shortfall.

In the event the budget was passed by just one vote.

Mr Moloney also said that while refuse charges wouldn't rise in 2006 the cost of provide new door-to-door recycling collections could drive them up in 2007.