Westport parks pay-and-display charges

Westport charges parked


Council facing deficit of €150,000 after councillors' U-turn

Anton McNulty

WESTPORT Town Council will have to make fresh cuts of around €150,000 to the 2011 budget after councillors rejected proposals to introduce on-street car parking charges.
The council had projected that extra revenue of €150,000 would be raised from on-street car parking and this was included in the 2011 Budget when they agreed to reduce the commercial rate for businesses by two per cent.
However, following the rejection of the on-street car parking charges, the Town Council Executive will have to adjust the budget to take into account the €150,000 deficit.
When contacted by The Mayo News, Westport Town Manager, Joe Beirne refused to comment on where the cuts will be made but it is understood that funding put aside for community groups and voluntary organisations may feel the brunt of the cuts.
At last week’s monthly meeting of Westport Town Council, Mr Beirne had recommended to councillors that they adopt the proposal to introduce on-street car parking charges saying that if they did not have the extra income it will affect their ability to pay for community projects.
“We are actively involved in programmes that require funding such as the restoration of the town hall. There are various council projects such as the Greenway that need funding and if we remove parking charges, it will affect our ability to find funding in the future,” he told councillors.
Despite that warning councillors voted against the recommendation to introduce the on-street car parking charges. meaning the executive will have to make the necessary cuts to the 2011 budget. Labour councillor Keith Martin told The Mayo News that he will not tolerate cuts in spending for local groups and feels the cuts can be found in other areas.
“The Manager is threatening to cut money for amenity and local groups but we will not tolerate money for local groups being cut from the budget he said.
Fine Gael councillor Michael McLaughlin said that the deficit could be reduced if the existing parking by-laws were enforced instead of making drastic cuts.
“We will wait and see what the executive have to say on it. We were generous with that revenue in the way it was distributed among different organisations and groups. It will affect projects, of course there is going to be cuts, but if they enforce the existing by-laws it will go a long way.  “With regard to the €150,000, we will have to wait and see what the executives comes up with and what they want to cut. We mightn’t necessarily go with their proposals. It would be unfair to give money to organisations and turn around to take it off them. There are ways of absorbing those costs,” he said.
Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, Cllr Tereasa McGuire said she had ‘no idea’ where the Town Manager would find the cuts but added that the executive will have to be creative with the cuts.
“We will fight that the weakest do not pay the price,” she said. “We will have to be financially creative with the way we find these cuts in the same way that housewives all over Ireland are having to watch what they spend.”

Elsewhere on mayonews.ie
Councillors say no to pay and display
Fine Gael denies U-turn on parking charges