FG councillors defy party on service charge vote

FINE GAEL members of Dublin City Council are set to defy a senior party order to vote against large increases in service charges.

Fine Gael councillors are backing Dublin City Manager John Fitzgerald’s controversial budget which will see refuse charges increased by almost 30% - a move being opposed by the Labour Party and Independents.

But the FG party leadership has asked council members to play hardball with local authority budgets in order to lay the blame for the increased levies squarely at the door of the Government parties.