Help councils avoid forcing tenants to pay tax, Hogan told

The local government minister has been asked to intervene to ensure cash-strapped local authorities don’t have to pass the cost of their local property tax bills on to council tenants.

Noel Bourke, the general secretary of the Local Authority Members Association, urged Phil Hogan last night to examine the issue as a matter of urgency and devise a “sensible solution” to the problem facing councils as they finalise their budgets for next year.

“Our fear is that the thousands of council tenants around the county could end up paying this bill for the various councils.