Anger over lack of funding for harbours

COUNTY councillors have reacted angrily to a letter from the Department of Transport telling them only limited finance will be available to do up harbours in Cork before they are taken over by the local authority.

The cash-strapped council says its simply doesn’t have the money to maintain harbours in Baltimore, Skibbereen and Kinsale.

The transfer of responsibility was already a thorny issue but was exacerbated with the letter.

Transport Minister Martin Cullen’s private secretary, John Conroy, said that while officials from the department would meet with council staff in the coming weeks to discuss capital funding, “the limited resources available for expenditure on regional harbours are being concentrated on public safety works.”

Cllr Kevin Murphy (FG) was furious.

“They’re passing on responsibility without any commitment to capital funding. If we’re to take control of those harbours we will need substantial capital funding first. We’re being forced to take over deficient services,” Mr Murphy said.

Cllr Tadgh O’Donovan (FG) said that promises of funding had been made before the last general election, but they still hadn’t received a cent.

“Baltimore harbour has been there since Famine times and no funding has been put into it in the last 60 or 70 years,” Mr O’Donovan said.

Cllr Alan Coleman (FF), a member of Kinsale Harbour Board, said they needed €6m to do up that facility.

He said the harbour board had been looking for funding to develop Adam’s Quay for the past 10 years and had got nowhere.

“These ports should only be transferred to local authorities when the State puts necessary funds in place,” Mr Coleman said.

The chairman of Baltimore Harbour Board, Cllr Joe Carroll (FF), said numerous activities such as commercial fishing, sport angling, yachting etc were undertaken from the pier, and conditions were such it was amazing there hadn’t been several serious accidents last year.

Cllr Paddy Sheehan (FG) claimed a section of Baltimore pier was in danger of falling down.

“An announcement blared out four years ago (before the General Election) from Fianna Fáil that the pier was to get €2.5 million. Four years on not 2.5 cents has been spent,” he said.

County manager Maurice Moloney said he supported the sentiments expressed by councillors. If proper funding is not forthcoming from the department then councillors will lobby TDs. If that fails it seems likely they will refuse to take over the three facilities.