‘This imbalance is not sustainable’ — Outgoing Tipperary council chair urges greater support for local authorities
Tipperary County Council needs significantly more funding from central Government if it is to continue delivering essential services, outgoing Cathaoirleach John Carroll has said.
At the annual general meeting of the local authority, Fianna Fáil councillor John Carroll brought the curtain down on his year at the helm of the council, being replaced by Labour’s Fiona Bonfield.
During his outgoing speech Cllr Carroll hit out at central Government for the underfunding of roads programmes across Tipperary, with the council consistently having to put off doing works on roads due to a lack of money.
“One of the most serious issues is the continued underfunding of our regional, local, and tertiary roads,” he said.
“For many years, road projects have suffered from an inadequate level of Government investment. This has resulted in the steady deterioration of local infrastructure.
“These roads are not optional extras, they are the roads used by families, school buses, farmers, small businesses, emergency services and visitors to our county,” Cllr Carroll said.
Over the years, the council has seen an erosion of powers and funding, meaning that the local authority can’t do as much as it once did, he added.
“At the same time, public expectation of councillors and councils has greatly increased. This imbalance is not sustainable going forward.
“Councillors are close to the field, they understand local problems and local opportunities, but without adequate funding, local government cannot fully meet the needs of its citizens,” Cllr Carroll said.
Despite this, Cllr Carroll said he remains hopeful for the future, and was proud of his time as Cathaoirleach.
The Fianna Fáil councillor said it was a “great honour” to serve as Tipperary’s first citizen for the past year, and said it is a privilege that he will always remember.
“This is a county with a proud history, strong identity and an extraordinary depth of community spirit,” Cllr Carroll said.
“Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of attending events and meetings in communities in every part of the county. I have seen the great work being done in sport, enterprise, tourism, recreational amenity development, voluntary activity, and community support,” he added.
The Fianna Fáil councillor said that a St Patrick’s Day trip from Tipperary to Maryland in the United States was an “important” one for networking and building relationships, as well as promoting Tipperary to a global audience.
The visit saw the signing of an agreement between Tipperary and Maryland, he said, which had a particular focus on the equine sector.
“This visit gave the delegation a valuable opportunity to see how equine facilities are developed, managed and promoted in Maryland,” he said.
Cllr Carroll said that the River Shannon must be protected “at all costs” and efforts to pump water from the Shannon to Dublin must be resisted.
“The people of Tipperary and the wider Mid-West region must be vigilant in relation to proposals for water abstraction from the River Shannon.
“Such proposals have the potential of causing long-term economic, environmental and tourism damage to this region,” he said.