Funds increase not an election gimmick

YOUR editorial (Irish Examiner, Dec 8) pouring scorn on the 14% increase in funding for local authorities smacks of begrudgery, even before the announcement was made.

Your editorial writer, like the Dáil opposition, seems to believe that the Government should embark on a period of complete inactivity between now and the June elections because any announcement will be viewed cynically as an ‘election gimmick’.

The increase in funding is a sign of the Government’s commitment to local democracy and will ensure that local authorities can meet the demands of the next 12 months.