Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise an important issue relating to Galway County Council. There has been a serious lack of money in the local government fund for the council Galway for many number of years. The perception is that Galway County Council is being punished for the fact it has not amalgamated with Galway City Council. The expert advisory group set up to examine the amalgamation recommended that the existing deficiencies relating to human and financial resources be expeditiously resolved as an essential prerequisite to the amalgamation process. Galway County Council will run a deficit of €4.5 million next year if its members decide to pass a budget. So far, all of the municipal districts have rejected the budget presented by the executive. I ask that, once and for all, the cloak is lifted on how funding is being given to local authorities and, in particular, to Galway County Council, which presides over the single biggest area geographically in the entire country. The area in question is larger than that in Cork because of the process that has happened there. Given the geographical layout of the county, it is important that it is done.

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