Williamstown Cllr bemoans funding shortages for Galway

INDEPENDENT Ireland Councillor Declan Geraghty told last week’s Ballinasloe MD meeting that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have not done enough to address the lack of funding available to Galway County Council.

Cllr Geraghty said that too much control had been taken away from local authorities by Government Departments when it came to the procurement and awarding of tenders for works.

“There is a full line of red tape holding up works and money is being squandered. We have people in the County Council here who are well able to do the works if they were let. It’s a disgrace that the County Council have to contact a Department for approval to do a job,” said Cllr Geraghty.

“Until the County Council takes back control you ain’t going to see a lot of change. It’s not the staff that’s the problem, it’s who is above them bringing in the legislation.

“I go back to the lack of funding for this County Council. I want to thank Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for that. They haven’t done a lot for County Galway.”

Moylough Cllr Michael Connolly said that the Government has to be held to account by the opposition when it came to such matters.

“There is an Independent Ireland deputy and a Sinn Féin deputy in this area (in the Dáil). There’s no Fine Gael deputy at the moment, and there is a Fianna Fáil TD. It’s incumbent on us not to play the blame game on Oireachtas members,” said Cllr Michael Connolly.

Sinn Féin Cllr Dermot Connolly said that his party colleagues, Roscommon-Galway TD Claire Kerrane and Galway West TD Mairéad Farrell, have both raised the shortages in funding for Galway County Council in Leinster House in recent years.

Cllr Evelyn Parsons said that the Ballinasloe MD was performing above capacity given the resources available to it.

Recruitment underway

“This Municipal District punches above its weight with the amount of work being done on the ground,” said the newly-elected Cathaoirleach of the Ballinasloe MD.

“A project management office to support the staff and take some of the work burden off them is maybe a suggestion that could be brought forward.”

Cllr Geraghty said that the appointment of a junior engineer to the Ballinasloe MD could help ease the workload and praised the County Council staff for the work they have carried out in the Municipal District.

Damien Mitchell, the Director of Housing with the local authority, told the meeting that the Council are currently recruiting for a number of roles, including at executive level.

“A national recruitment campaign has just been finalised. We have to go through that process. There are a number of posts at that level throughout the organisation to fill at the moment. It will filter down to the Ballinasloe Municipal District,” said Mr Mitchell.

“Additional staff at a technical level is a different matter. That is being done under the Strategic Workforce Plan. There is no timeline for that.”