Kilrush Town Council Budget Provides Boost To Local Economy

Kilrush Town Council last night announced a series of measures aimed at stimulating growth in the West Clare economy.

Among the key points of the Kilrush Town Council’s Budget for 2010 is a freeze on commercial and local authority housing rent rates, a 3 per cent reduction in commercial water charges, an increase in the Housing Maintenance Programme, and a pledge to review the town’s Parking Bye Laws.

Speaking following last night’s unanimous adoption of the Budget, Mayor of Kilrush Councillor Marion McMahon-Jones expressed her optimism that the series of approved measures would provide the stimulus for economic development in Kilrush in the coming years. “In framing the Budget for 2010, the Council was very conscious of the need to encourage more business activity in the town, retain employment and where possible, create additional employment. The ongoing need to boost tourism and economic development in the town has therefore been provided for”, she explained.

Mayor McMahon Jones continued: “To enable Kilrush to retain its competitiveness in the economy and to establish itself as a thriving business capital in West Clare, the Budget proposes no increase in commercial rates. Furthermore, the commercial water charges for commercial water consumers in the town of Kilrush, which were part of the County Council’s Budget, have been reduced by 3 per cent for 2010. The issue of parking charges will also be addressed through a review of the Parking Bye Laws in 2010 and this will encourage people to avail of parking, free of charge, at certain times”.

“The Council also recognises the genuine efforts of Council Tenants to pay their housing rents in 2009 and it is heartening to see that the projected income from rents in 2009 will be realised. To this end, it is proposed not to increase rents for 2010”, added the Mayor.

Overall the Budget provides for a 12.5 per cent reduction in expenditure, while at the same time, maintaining the same level of services as 2009. The main reductions are in Payroll (14 per cent), Road Grants (10 per cent) and other non-pay expenditure (15 per cent).

Kilrush Town Manager Nora Kaye noted that one of the Council’s core objectives is to create employment. She said there are many employment related aspects to the Budget, including the increase in the Housing Maintenance Programme, which not alone will ensure that an enhanced maintenance programme is carried out but will provide employment in the construction industry.

Ms. Kaye continued: “This will give a much-needed boost to this sector. While the Budget is concerned only with Revenue Expenditure, the Council is hopeful that Phase 2 of John Paul Estate will be approved by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in 2010, thereby ensuring the continuation of necessary regeneration works and providing additional employment for a number of sectors. In addition, other capital projects, which will be funded by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, will boost employment and enterprise locally.”

Ms. Kaye explained that Kilrush Town Council and the West Clare Economic Development Task Force would continue to work to ensure Kilrush benefits from new business and tourism developments. She stated: “Kilrush Town boasts a number of well established tourist attractions including The Heritage Town Trail, the Marina, Cappa Pier, Scattery Island, and the Vandeleur Walled Garden and Coffee / Gift shop, which collectively generate income for the town in the form of employment, tourism and increased business activities.”

In welcoming the continuing financial support from POBAL, Ms. Kaye acknowledged the benefits of all agencies working together for the same overall outcome. “Kilrush Town Council works in Partnership with many government agencies for the future development of Kilrush. Our team effort with FAS, Clare County Council, the Gardaí, Tidy Towns, Chamber of Commerce and others has been hugely instrumental in developing the town both economically and socially”, concluded the Town Manager.

Meanwhile, members of Kilrush Town Council last night unanimously adopted a resolution to provide free car parking in the town in the run up to Christmas. As a goodwill gesture to local businesses and consumers, the Council has introduced free parking in Kilrush on Saturday 12th and Saturday 19th December, as well as from Monday 21st to Thursday 24th December. The suspension of parking charges is subject to a maximum limit of 2 hours per vehicle. All other elements of the traffic Bye Laws remain in effect during this period.

Farmers Receive Upland Sheep Scheme Payments

Tony Killeen T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has confirmed that special payments to eligible farmers under the new Upland Sheep Payment Scheme have commenced.

Minister Killeen confirmed that he expected that Upland Sheep Payment Scheme payments worth in the region of 5 million euro would be made by the end of the month with the remaining 2 million euro being paid in early 2010. A further 54 million euro will be made available over the next three years in unused CAP funds to support incomes in the sheep sector.

The Clare T.D. said: “The Uplands Sheep Payment comprises unused funds from the Single Payment National Reserve. By creating this payment, the Government has recognised the difficulties and costs, including compliance costs, facing the sheep sector.”

“In addition to the 7 million euro payments being made over the coming weeks, the Department has allocated an additional 8 million euro for sheep fencing and mobile handling facilities to assist sheep farmers in reducing labour input, as part of a new targeted on-farm investment scheme”, added Minister of State Killeen.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State also confirmed that payments under the Single Payment Scheme and Disadvantaged Areas Scheme are continuing to issue, as individual cases are cleared for payment.

Minister of State Killeen added: “To date, the combined value of the payments that have issued under these two Schemes is in excess of EUR1.462 billion. Payments due to the small number of participating farmers under the Protein Aid Scheme, worth in excess of EUR220,000, have also begun issuing”.

Budget 2010 Policy Seeks To Energy Upgrade Every Irish Building

The inclusion in the Irish Government’s Budget for 2010 of the ‘Save as You Pay’ green financing model has been hailed as a visionary decision by the campaigner who introduced the idea.

“Save as You Pay (SAYP) could enable us to energy upgrade virtually every building in Ireland over the next decade, so it is exactly the sort of policy that could help lift us out of recession,” said Jeff Colley, Editor of green building magazine Construct Ireland.

SAYP will enable cash-strapped homeowners and businesses to pay for energy saving measures through fixed repayments on their energy bills over several years.

According to Mr. Colley: “We introduced the idea of paying for energy upgrade work through utility bills over the summer because many people do not have access to savings or credit to get the work done. It was a question of right policy, right place, right time.”

Colley’s campaigning efforts resulted in SAYP being included in the renewed Programme for Government and the Institute of European Affairs Greenprint for a National Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme. He noted: “We have been blown away by the level of public demand for this approach”.

80 per cent of Irish homeowners responding to a Construct Ireland/Amárach Research survey in August said they would be interested in paying for energy upgrade work through their utility bills. 58 per cent of homeowners said they did not have enough money saved to upgrade their home.

“If the majority of Irish homeowners can’t access the money to pay for energy upgrade work, a grant alone will be of limited use,” Colley said. “Even with a grant covering 30 per cent of the cost of a typical upgrade, we have to help people to find the remainder, be it through payments on their energy bills or by adding it to their mortgage”, stated Mr. Colley.

The response from utilities has already been encouraging, with Bord Gáis announcing plans in October to introduce a major energy efficiency home services initiative in 2010, which will offer homeowners a full-scale energy efficiency service with a range of separate products and services through an on-bill finance.

“Save as You Pay can become a major driver in Ireland’s economic recovery,” said Colley. “It will create jobs, reduce our 6bn euro energy import bill, dramatically cut our carbon emissions, and enable all Irish people to have comfortable, healthy homes”, concluded Mr. Colley.

IMAGE: Jeff Colley, Editor, Construct Ireland. Pic by David Ruffles