Greens slam Roche as Bray Draft Budget is criticised
The Bray Draft Budget came in for widespread criticism from all political parties at the first meeting of Bray Town Council after the Christmas break. Green Party councillors reserved most of their criticism for Minister Dick Roche who, they claimed, had only provided a 5% increase in the Local Government Fund for Bray Town Council.
According to Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca, the percentage increase in this funding was down on last year. “The Minister is very familiar with the problems faced by Bray Town Council and it is hard to believe that he did not see fit to allocate a higher level of local government funding for his own town” she says. “If this is the level of financial support that the Minister is willing to give the town, then how can he expect the council to begin to tackle some of Bray’s more serious problems”.
Green Party councillor, Ciaran O’Brien claimed that the shortfall in funding available to Bray Town Council would have to be met by the proposed 7% increase in commercial rates and an overall reduction in community funding. “The 12% increase in the County Demand is also unacceptable and unsustainable” says O’Brien. “This comes on top of a 9% increase in the County Demand last year. The town of Bray will certainly be run into the ground if this pattern is to continue over the coming years”. O’Brien proposed that Bray Town Council should seek to secure Borough Council status for itself which would free it up to raise and manage its own revenue.
Green Party councillor, Caroline Burrell, insisted that councillors receive a breakdown as to what value for money Bray Town Council will receive for the 4 million euros for the County Demand. “Wicklow County Council will have to recognise that Bray Town Council has experienced a serious commercial decline over the past decade or so and that special measures will be required to help the town to ‘get back on its feet’. These measures should include a greatly reduced annual County Demand payment, the appointment of a full time Town Manager as opposed to the present part-time arrangement, and the introduction of a special tax incentive scheme for particular parts of the town”.
The Draft Bray Budget must be adopted within a three-week period of the first budget meeting. Green party councillors have warned that they will not support the budget in its current form.
