Cork City gets €4.7m Covid package for local projects

Some €4.7m has been allocated to Cork City Council under a post-Covid funding package, with the Barrack Street brass and reed band among the groups to benefit

Cork City Council can now provide financial assistance to the Barrack Street Band to help it relocate to the former Redmonds GAA club building on Tower St, off Barrack St. Picture: Denis Minihane

A famous Cork marching band that has been entertaining the city for almost 200 years is set to get a permanent home thanks to a post-Covid Government compensation package for local authorities.

The Barrack Street Band, which was founded in 1837, is one of many groups that will benefit from the €4.7m allocated to Cork City Council to help shore up its finances after the pandemic.

Council finance committee chair and Fianna Fáil councillor Seán Martin said the allocation meant the council could now provide financial support to a range of projects, such as the Barrack Street Band relocation, which were at risk of being shelved because of the impact of the pandemic on the city’s finances.

The city can now provide financial assistance to the Barrack Street Band to help it relocate to the former Redmonds GAA club building on Tower St, off Barrack St. Negotiations about the move are ongoing.

Mr Martin said a job creation hub planned for the disused landmark Butter Exchange building on the city’s northside and repairs to a valve to prevent repeat flooding problems at the Atlantic pond were also in line for funding.

'City-wide impact'

“It was our understanding that if additional funding became available that we’d increase funding to the affected budgets last year, and enhance others. And we are particularly pleased that this will have a city-wide impact,” he said.

Council management will oversee the spending of €4m, while the €700,000 balance will be divided across various spending codes, with €50,000 being used to boost the sports grants pot. There will also be a €50,000 increase in the tree pruning budget and an extra €50,000 for road lining works.

Some €250,000 will be divided evenly between the council’s five local area committees (LACs), where spending decisions are made by city councillors.

Fine Gael councillor Des Cahill said, aside from the larger allocations, the LAC funding would help deliver very visible and tangible projects that would be of direct benefit to citizens.

However, Mr Martin ruled out a reduction in car parking charges, which were increased at the council’s 2022 budget meeting in November. The higher parking charges in council-owned car parks, the first since increase since 2017, came into effect this month.

All local authority budgets for 2022 were prepared against the backdrop of significant losses arising out of the pandemic.

In Cork City alone, it was estimated that the council lost out on around €3.5m of income, particularly from parking, and that it spent a further €333,000 on specific Covid-related projects.

Councillors were told during the 2022 budget meeting that pedestrianisation of various streets post-Covid had resulted in the loss of over 440 car parking spaces, which represented a significant loss in income.

Last month, Peter Burke, junior planning and local government minister, announced an additional €61m to provide compensation to local authorities for financial losses due to Covid.

Dublin City Council got the highest allocation, at €20m, while Cork City Council got the next largest amount, at almost €4.7m.