Chamber calls for ‘proper’ funding to avoid rates rise

Business leaders in Cork have called on the Government to ensure local authorities are properly financed so they don’t have to increase rates.

The call has been made by Cork Chamber in response to a comment by county manager Martin Riordan that he may have to introduce a rates hike next year as the cash-strappedlocal authority isn’t getting the financial support it needs from the Government to allow it balance its books.

Cork Chamber chief executive Conor Healy said the Government must introduce a proper “funding model for local government to reduce dependence on business-related charges and guarantee that revenue from the Local Property Tax (LPT) will be fairly distributed to local authorities and spent at a local level.”