Galway councillor seeks Taoiseach’s help for wastewater project funding deadlock
Galway County Councillor Martina Kinane has called on Minister James Browne and Taoiseach Micheál Martin to intervene directly in a funding deadlock that has stalled two major wastewater infrastructure projects in Craughwell and Clarinbridge.
The €20 million projects were approved in December 2023, but progress has stalled due to a requirement for Galway County Council to provide 15pc (€5m) in co-funding for the project to begin. According to Cllr Kinane, this condition was not communicated to the council at the time of approval.
Cllr Kinane met with Minister Browne on October 10 in what she described as a “very positive interaction”, providing a three-page briefing on the timeline of the issue and to “intervene urgently”. The minister gave a commitment to review the situation.
“Someone must take leadership and I'm asking the minister now to directly intervene in this and end the stalemate,” she told the Irish Independent.
“If the government is serious about building the homes and supporting growth, and if my party is serious in what they're talking about, basically they have to step up to the table now,” she added, after contacting Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
“Fianna Fáil has always stood for investing in essential infrastructure that enables housing and supports balanced regional development. We can’t deliver homes without proper wastewater services. This is a test of whether the Government is prepared to back its housing commitments with real action.”
In September, she tabled a motion at a Galway County Council meeting requesting relief from the €5 million needed to unlock the projects. However, Uisce Éireann has since then communicated that such a request is not within its remit.
The council is already grappling with a significant 2026 budget shortfall. At the time of her comments, Galway County Council was conducting a briefing on how to fill an €11 million hole in the annual budget, which is due to be presented to councillors on November 14.
The timing has further complicated matters, as councillors approved a 15pc increase in Local Property Tax over the next five years to address broader deficits. No allocation for the wastewater projects was included in budgetary planning.
“Our funding in Galway County Council is very low anyway,” she told the Irish Independent. “There's no €5m, there's a hole already in the budget, but it's a no brainer really that Uisce Éireann should front it because once the project is completed Uisce Éireann can collect income from the connection charges. On that basis, I think this should be 100pc funded.”
Cllr Kinane hopes that with support from the minister and the Taoiseach, the co-funding requirement will be removed entirely, and works can finally begin.