Clare County Councillors claim the devil will be in the detail of a multi-million euro boost.
It comes as focus is now shifting to how the Local Authority can make the best use of a €5.7 million increase to its baseline fund for the coming year.
Following a taskforce review which assessed factors such as population size, local authority income and deprivation, Clare County Council has been allocated an additional €5.7 million in baseline funding for 2024.
This means funding traditionally used to support day to day operations and contingency responses to events like the Covid-19 Pandemic and the Ukrainian Crisis will be set at a minimum of €10,179,318 for the coming year.
With draft budget preparations underway at council level, elected representatives are making renewed calls for an enhanced focus on road safety and social housing supports.
In previous years, the state has shouldered the burden of major commercial rates losses faced by Clare County Council as well as support for energy and inflation schemes and its now feared the allocation may be all rolled into one package.
Ennistymon Fianna Fáíl Councillor Shane Talty says while he’s cautiously optimistic, the devil will have to be discerned from the detail before any commitments can be made.
The Mayor of Clare meanwhile claims road safety and household supports will be top of the billing when decision time arrives.
Last year, the local authority’s road safety budget was just over €40million , while €11 million was made available to assist tenants via the rental accommodation scheme.
Bodyke Fine Gael Councillor and Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Joe Cooney says measures such as hedge cutting on rural roads and cost of living supports will be prioritised regardless of how much funding is on the table.
You can listen to the full interview below.
