More street litter and potholed roads due to Cork council funding cuts 

Unless the Government intervenes and allocates extra funding, Co Cork's eight district councils will see budget cuts of 14%

A full bin is ready to be emptied along a walkway.

People living in Co Cork can expect to see more litter on the streets next year, along with less maintenance of graveyards, playgrounds, and local roads, as the cash-strapped county council has been forced to cut its budget to its eight municipal districts.

Unless the Government intervenes and provides more grant aid to the local authority, funding for these services in municipal districts will be cut by 14%.

The majority, if not all, of Co Cork’s municipal district councils are expected to reject their annual budgets due to the funding cuts from their bosses in County Hall, who are trying desperately to balance the local authority’s overall budget for 2023 in the face of the increased cost of materials for road maintenance, housing maintenance, and construction.

In addition, the council has to provide an additional wage increase of 4% to its staff under the National Pay Agreement.

Four municipal district councils have so far voted down their budgets, with councillors maintaining they cannot standby such cuts.

The East Cork Municipal District Council was the first to reject its budget, followed closely by the Macroom Municipal District Council, the West Cork district, and the Cobh district. 

The Carrigaline Municipal District is expected to do likewise on Wednesday, and the remaining districts will vote on their budgets during the next two weeks.

East Cork Municipal District Council chairman, Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty said: 

We wouldn’t be able to maintain many of our services with the size of these cuts, and I’m proposing we vote against them.

He was seconded by Fianna Fail councillor Ann Marie Ahern, who maintained central Government must step into the breach.

At Cobh Municipal District Council’s meeting, Labour councillor Cathal Rasmussen said: “If the services aren’t there we’re going to get it in the neck (from the public). We have to stick to our guns and preserve these services.” 

Green councillor Alan O’Connor also noted that municipal districts would be getting less to fund the arts.

Macroom Municipal District Council chair, Fine Gael councillor Eileen Lynch said all councillors in her area felt the same way that a 14% cut was not sustainable. "I can’t see how we can carry out the work we’re supposed to with these cuts,” she said.

At the West Cork Municipal District Council meeting, rejecting the budget was proposed by Fianna Fáil councillor Patrick Gerard Murphy and seconded by Independent councillor Declan Hurley. Mr Hurley said:

We are cash-strapped and not able to provide the services to the people that we’re supposed to. As elected public representatives we can’t stand over any more cuts.

In a letter to councillors, council chief executive Tim Lucey said the local authority is seeking more funding from Government, but if this isn’t forthcoming the cuts will have to be made.

Councillors will convene on Mon, November 28, to thrash out an overall budget at what's expected to be a lengthy and heated meeting.