Written answers

Tuesday, 1 July 2025

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Local Authorities

Photo of Joe NevilleJoe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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86. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reason there has not been an increase in central Government funding for Kildare County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35892/25]

Photo of James BrowneJames Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Central Government funding of local authorities presents a complex picture, with transfers, both current and capital, coming from a wide range of Departments and Offices for a variety of purposes. Central Government grant funding to Kildare County Council has increased by more than 60% from €168.3m in 2018 to €271.9m in 2023, according to their audited annual financial statements. Across all schemes and funding sources, my Department alone has provided €164.9m in 2022, €218.6m in 2023 and €233.2m in 2024 to Kildare County Council.

As regards Local Property Tax, which makes up c.6% of the sector's locally raised income, a review of baselines was completed by a working group in 2023. Under the current LPT allocation model, every local authority has a minimum level of funding available to it, known as the baseline, and as a result of this review, Kildare’s baseline increased by €1.5m.

The working group, which included elected and executive representation from the local government sector, recommended that LPT baseline funding would be distributed in accordance with population, area, deprivation levels, an authority’s locally raised income, and the achievement of National Policy Priorities. The recommendations of the group were adopted in full. The application of the model identified that the baseline funding of some local authorities needed adjustment upwards according to the allocation criteria, and as a result, certain authorities saw a greater increase in funding than others.

It was the decision of the working group to apply the model on a ‘no-reductions basis’, and furthermore the then Minister decided that each authority received an increase of at least €1.5m.

Kildare County Council was one of the 18 authorities, that would not have achieved an increase under the model criteria and that benefited from the application of the recommendations that there be ‘no reduction’ and a ‘minimum increase’ for each local authority.

We are expecting that the legislation allowing for 2025 LPT revaluation to be passed shortly. It has been agreed by Government that any additional LPT yield generated as a result of the revaluation is to be retained by local authorities for their own discretionary use. The Department is currently considering the best mechanism to achieve this objective, and local authorities will be advised of their 2026 allocations as soon as possible after the legislation has passed.

Finally, in line with commitments in the Programme for Government, a Local Democracy Taskforce has been established to reform and strengthen local government, and will meet for the first time on 26th June 2025. The Terms of Reference for the Taskforce sets out an ambitious and detailed work programme, which is expected to give rise to a series of reforms in the local government sector. One theme of the taskforce will be the funding of local authorities, and will include a consideration of ways to enhance fiscal autonomy on a local level. The Taskforce will deliver its recommendations to the Minister and the Government for consideration within 6 to 9 months,

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