Westport-Belmullet councillors reject ‘farcical’ budget

AN outspoken critic of the state of Irish local government has branded Mayo County Council’s budgetary process as ‘an insult’ to councillors and the public.

Cllr Peter Flynn was among those who slammed the lack of funding for the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District after its elected members again rejected their proposed budget.

A total of €490,000 was allocated for Westport-Belmullet Municipal District in Mayo County Council’s €201 million draft budgetary plan.

Claremorris-Swinford - which covers one-third of Mayo - received the most of any municipal district with €700,000. The Castlebar Municipal District received €490,000, while Ballina received €470,000, bringing the total allocated to Mayo’s four municipal district councils to €2.1 million. This funding is allocated to the councillors in each municipal district, who may use it to fund their own chosen groups or projects.

Cllr Flynn hit out at the budgetary process at an online meeting where the only item on the agenda was a vote on the budget.

“If ever you want to see how broken local government is, this budgetary process is really the proof in the pudding,” he said.

“It really is farcical. It’s an insult to the members, to the executive, but more importantly, it’s an insult to the public at large.”

The Fine Gael councillor said the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District was operating ‘on a shoestring’ without enough money to repair houses, empty bins, clean the streets and carry out other maintenance works.

Independent councillor John O’Malley said the lack of discretionary money available to the municipal district was ‘embarrassing’.

“There is no money, it seems, to do anything around the town. Anything that is done, is not done properly that it will last. If something needs to be repaired, it’s half-repaired,” said Cllr O’Malley, citing a wall in front of Centra on The Fairgreen which collapsed after being hit by a vehicle.

Seamus O’Mongain, Head of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District, said the municipal district budget was offered following a process which took into account ‘all of the factors across the entire county’.