Council funding halved over past seven years

Funding from central Government to Galway City and County Councils has halved since 2011, according to new figures published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

The combined funding streams have been reduced by 52% from €116 million in 2011 to €56 million in 2018, with Galway County Council seeing the biggest loss of finance (€86.8m dropping to €33.8m).

Funding for the City Council was cut from €29.1m in 2011 to €22.3m this year.

Sinn Féin Councillor Mairéad Farrell said the figures simply confirm what is already known by local councillors and expressed concern about the planned amalgamation of the two local authorities.

“I am deeply worried that the current moves towards a ‘Greater Galway Authority’ is symptomatic of a trend towards privatisation and centralisation of public services within this state.

“The report of the Galway Local Government Committee makes multiple references to ‘international experience’ and notes the ‘general trend towards a smaller number of larger local authorities in several OECD countries’ as the backdrop to recommending amalgamation of Galway City and County Councils.

“We already have a very poor track record internationally, however, in terms of funding and empowering local government. The Irish state is one of the most centralised in Europe, fiscally speaking.

“A substantial part of the fall in funding levels, of course, is a result of the privatisation and centralisation of public services once within the control of local authorities.

“The Galway report even states that ‘a distinguishing characteristic of local government in Ireland is the relatively limited range of functions undertaken by local authorities’.

“Decentralisation and autonomous communities are generally understood as positive values and central components of good governance. This is evidenced by the European Charter of Local Self-Government, but also by the OECD and the stated regional policy of the European Commission.

“At the moment, however, local authorities – and Galway County Council in particular – are not able to provide the services required of them due to the extremely poor financial situation that they find themselves in. This is not good enough,” said Cllr Farrell.