By Dan Walsh at Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District meeting
Wexford County Council’s Draft Budgetary Plans setting out the General Municipal Allocations (GMA) for 2024 have been presented to all districts and remains at the same level as 2023 at €1,832,000 and the final presentations were made at Enniscorthy (yesterday) and Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District Council at today’s meeting held in the Council Chamber, Gorey Civic Centre.
The allocations to the districts are as follows; WEXFORD €407,000, ROSSLARE €257, 000, ENNISCORTHY €364,000, NEW ROSS €339,000 and GOREY KILMUCKRIDGE €465,000.
Gorey Kilmuckridge voted unanimously to support the Draft Budgery Plan, however, it was felt in the chamber that Gorey Kilmuckridge were “short changed” considering that Gorey and Kilmuckridge are two districts amalgamated.
Cllr Andrew Bolger activated the debate when he claimed that Gorey Kilmuckridge LEA (Local Electoral Area) received the least amount of money per electoral area – €232,500 per local area less than any other district? “We have been short changed,” he added.
Cllr Joe Sullivan stated that Gorey was behind Enniscorthy and Cllr Anthony Donohoe agreed that Gorey Kilmuckridge was not getting its fair share and “was lumped in as one municipal district. Cllr Donal Kenny claimed that “the figures don’t add up” and it was a case of the Council “throwing the toys out of the cot.”
Cllr Mary Farrell pointed out that Kilmuckridge was “very rural”, Cllr Willie Kavanagh asked how much was in it for Kilmuckridge and that leaves less for Gorey.
Cllr Diarmuid Devereux proposed adoption of the Budgetary Plan (Cllr Kavanagh seconded) and reminded members of “spending money we don’t have” as the “county is going to struggle and is already €4 million behind the curve.”
Linda Leacy, Acting Head of Finance, told the meeting that the GMA for 2024 “have again been prepared against a backdrop of uncertainty in terms of the financial capacity of Wexford County Council to deliver a balanced statutory budget for 2024.”
“The war in Ukraine triggered a massive shock to the global economy, especially to energy markets, squeezing supply and pushing up prices to unprecedented levels,” stated Ms. Leacy, who added; “This economic crisis continues to see inflation and energy costs spiral with no clear end in sight.”
Ms. Leacy concluded that “the lack of a real and sustainable source of income for local government will continue to present challenges for the Council as we try to deliver annual budgets in an environment of unprecedented cost pressures caused by the impact of back-to-back economic crisis since 2020.”
WexfordLocal.com 