Connacht Tribune
Councillors vote to withhold Property Tax from State
All of the controversial Local Property Tax collected across Galway is to be retained in the county, it was decided at a meeting of the local authority this week.
Normally, 20% of the LPT collected goes back to the exchequer, but angry councillors have decided that this will no longer be the case.
Each county returns 20% of the LPT to the Government for redistribution but it has emerged that County Galway is the poor relation when it comes to the amount it receives back on an annual basis. For example, this year Galway received €2.8 million in what is known as the ‘equalisation fund’ compared to €16.5 million which was dished out to Donegal and Tipperary and €11.5 million Mayo.
Councillors said that one of the “great mysteries” is how this fund is distributed and that is one of the reasons that they have now taken a decision to hold all of the property tax collected in the county.
It followed a motion tabled by Cllr Tom Welby who proposed that all local property tax collected by county councils remain in each local authority.
In addition, he wanted a new fund created that would be completely financed by the exchequer and one that would have a transparent system of distribution of this additional money to weaker local authorities – such as Galway.
Councillors were told how, back in 2008 Galway County Council received an allocation of €160 million to operate its services and that, in the meantime, it has now been reduced to just over €100 million.
“We keep going back to the Department with the begging bowl and it is thrown straight back in our faces”, remarked Cllr Welby who said that Galway continued to be losing out compared to other neighbouring counties with a much less population.
Cllr Michael Connolly (FF) said that nobody seemed to know how the equalisation fund was being distributed but that Galway was certainly not getting its fair share compared to other counties.
“Galway has been treated very poorly by the Department and we are not getting what we deserve to run our services. We are trying to deliver first world services on a third world budget. It is not on,” Cllr Connolly added.
Cllr Malachy Noone (FF) said that he had suggested in the past that the members of Galway County Council should travel to Dublin to express their anger and frustration at the way they are being treated and believes that this should still be a course of action to be considered.
“If we keep taking these cuts, then the ordinary people in our county are going to suffer even more. There are people living on the breadline and if they happened to hit a pothole, it could cost them €300 in repairs which they cannot afford.
“We are taking this punishment for far too long. And what about our TDs? They should be able to intervene on our behalf. The fact that our budget is continually reducing means that it is a failure on their part,” Cllr Noone added.
Cllr James Charity (Ind) said that there were a number of local authorities that were actually better off since the economic crash but that Galway was losing “more than most”.
He said that the staff reductions were punishing and this had an impact on every resident in the county. “Our local roads are in a terrible state and it is high time we have to shout stop. We have to withdraw our property tax until the anomaly in what we are receiving is addressed,” Cllr Charity said.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
