Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have an unworkable financial plan in Sligo and that is the reality. The people of Sligo pay their property tax the same as people do everywhere else. The people in rural Sligo - in Tubbercurry or Ballymote - when they build a house have to pay their development charges, and for those charges they are told they will get services. The people of Sligo did not run up this bill of legacy debt. They deserve services the same as people deserve them in every other part of the country.

The financial plan that was put in place means that, this year, there will be a surplus of over €2 million in County Sligo. It has already reached €1.4 million. This is money that is being taken out of the local economy and taken away from the local people, who would have spent it in local shops and businesses. Next year, the surplus is to increase to €3.4 million and the next year to over €4 million. That is totally unworkable in a county like Sligo. It is not like we have huge economic development or growth west of the Shannon. A Brexit crisis is facing us and we have a county and a region which are, in effect, in economic decline compared to the rest of the country. There needs to be a recognition of this fact.

I implore the Minister to meet with Sligo County Council once again to review this entire financial plan and to come up with a new plan which is workable and which will provide services for people in the long term. The current plan simply will not work. The Minister will have a revolt on his hands if he continues down this path. I implore him to immediately meet with the elected representatives of County Sligo - the county councillors who were elected by the people - and work out a new plan which will work for the people. It is no good having a plan that works for the Department in Dublin if it does not provide library services, road services and everything else that is needed.

An example of the problem is seen in the fact that 12 temporary outdoor staff had to be taken on in Sligo last year, when funding became available due to the flooding, as there were no outdoor staff to do the work. Now that is coming to an end, those people will be let go, although we are facing another crisis in that regard. I implore the Minister to meet with the elected representatives from County Sligo to ensure a proper plan can be put in place that is workable and that will provide for the people.

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