Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

A very serious incident is being reported in Wexford this morning by journalist Dan Walsh and South East Radio. On Monday, 23 of the councillors in Wexford County Council voted to increase the property tax and 11 voted against it so that the hard-strapped mortgage payers would not have an increase in their property tax. What actually happened was that at yesterday's Gorey district meeting, the chair of Wexford County Council, who is a Gorey councillor, Pip Breen, brought a proposal to stop the 11 councillors who democratically voted against an increase in property tax from having any share of that increase in their discretionary fund. It was actually seconded and proposed further by a Fine Gael councillor, Anthony Donohoe, that the €77,000 that would have been shared by the 11 councillors be disbursed to the other 23 councillors. I am aghast. It would appear this is something new that people are not aware of. The Galway tent is not only alive and well but it is being pitched in Wexford. We have a scenario where we are robbing people of their money and giving it to councillors to buy votes. I would like to know what the Minister has to say and what he is going to do about it.

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