GALWAY LOCAL AUTHORITIES SAFE FROM FOURTH QUARTER CUTS

Date Published: 24-Sep-2012

Galway city and county councils are hopeful that their fourth quarter local government fund will NOT be targeted for further cuts.

It follows a letter from the Department of the Environment to all local authorities in which Minister Phil Hogan stated that household charge collection rates will continue to be linked with funding allocation.

Both Galway city and county councils received cuts to their third quarter allocation due to the level on non-compliance in payment of the household charge.

The Minister has said he will now review the fourth quarter payments in mid-November.

A spokesperson for Galway City Council says the current compliance rate is now just over 72 percent which means no further deductions should be taken from its funding allocation.

The Finance Department at Galway County Council says the compliance rate is now 63 percent with 400 properties or more registering each week since the last batch of reminder letters.