Taxpayers fork out €50,000 per year on city stray horses
Galway City Council has spent €265,000 over the last five years impounding stray horses without recouping a penny.
The scourge of horses being illegally kept in city estates means that ratepayers are being forced to cough up over €50,000 a year to get them rounded up.
Independent Councillor Terry O’Flaherty said the money was a complete waste of resources. What was more infuriating was the fact that not a single euro has been recouped from the Department of Agriculture by the city council, when Galway County Council are recouping €450 for each lift.
“In 2013 Galway County Council recouped €150,000 from a total expenditure of €180,000 paid out in respect of impounding horses,” she remarked.
“It seems incredible that Galway City Council have failed to recoup a single euro in the last five years, despite Galway County Council being reimbursed €450 per lift.
“This needs to be fully explained, as the only explanation forthcoming is that the system for impounding horses in the city did not fall within the framework of the recoupment scheme and the burden therefore again falls on the hard pressed ratepayer.”
Galway County Council provides a round the clock service for the lifting of horses. The Renmore councillor said she will be urging city officials to meet with their counterparts in Galway County Council to discuss the setting up of a similar system.
“I will be seeking answers from City Manager Brendan McGrath as to why the City Council are failing to recoup any monies and I will also be asking him to explain the continued failure of the City Council to stamp out the keeping of horses in city housing estates which is totally unacceptable.”
The grass in some of these estates does not require cutting due to the number of horses being allowed to graze on the open spaces, particularly on the east side of the city which appears to be suffering the most from this situation.
“This would not be tolerated in other more affluent parts of the city,” she insisted.
Last July, Galway City Council passed a motion which called for the eviction of local authority tenants who keep houses in their back gardens. The keeping of horses in housing estates was banned, but a spokesman said it was impossible for local authority staff to monitor what was happening in city estates 24 hours per day.
“We are at present working with other local authorities in the West region on a collaborative tendering process for impounding services, in order to establish if this will enable the Council to reduce its costs in this area,” stated the director of services for housing, Joe O’Neill.