Funding for Kildare County Council 'is at 1996 levels'

The amount of money allocated to County Kildare through the county council is at 1996 levels.

That’s according to Social Democrats councillor Nuala Killeen.

Cllr Nuala Killeen

A KCC meeting was told by another Social Democrats councillor and general election candidate Aidan Farrelly that when population is taken into account, County Kildare receives the second lowest amount of money.

He also said that the county's residents nevertheless contribute the seventh highest amount of property tax in the country.

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“Kildare is close to the bottom of the list when it comes to providing funds for facilities and services yet it is up close to the top when it comes to demand for these services because of the growing population,” he said.

The Social Democrats recently attempted to secure a 10% cut in the property tax payable by County Kildare homeowners at the end of this year.

Instead the majority of councillors including Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors approved keeping the rate as it is - which includes a 10% rise approved some years ago.

Fianna Fáil general election candidate and councillor Naoise Ó Cearúil said that County Kildare had grown at “an exponential rate” but he said to conflate the property tax issue with a lack of infrastructure amounts to electioneering. He also said that real change in how the council is financed  to provide services could only come at national government level.