Yesterday's announcement, or conjuring trick, by the Government in respect of increased funding for local authorities can at best be welcomed and at worst dismissed as another pre-local election stunt. Either way, this U-turn by the Government, which comes in the wake of pressure from Fine Gael and other Opposition parties, does not mean that local authorities will be able to avoid imposing heavy charges on the general public. The Government is still telling the local authorities that if they are short of funds, they have to raise the revenue themselves.