The elected members of Castlebar Town Council boosted the amount of funding allocated to amenity grants by 50 per cent at their budget meeting this week. The continuation of the grants was a major talking point among the members, who all agreed the €15,000 that had been allocated along with the €7,500 separate contribution to the FAI coaching officer had to be increased.
“It is always one of the most contentious issues when it comes to budget time,” Fine Gael councillor Eugene McCormack told the meeting. “We have €15,000 allocated and I think we should look at using that money for giving out grants to things that bring money into the town, such as the Four Day Walks, The Linenhall, and the junior cycle tour. Events and things like those which bring people and money into the town and stimulate economic activity.” While the members agreed that stimulating economic activity was very important there were dissenting voices from a number of members that the grants should be confined solely to the type of event or organisation that Cllr McCormack described.
“I feel very strongly about this,” said Sinn Féin councillor Therese Ruane. “I had a motion a number of months ago about putting criteria for these grants in place. There has to be economic value but there also has to be a social side to these grants too.”
Independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne backed Cllr Ruane’s comments. “I agree with the broad thrust of Cllr McCormack’s suggestion, but there has to be a very real social aspect to these grants,” he said. “There are a number of small organisations that the few hundred euro we give makes a huge difference in the year.”
Labour councillor Harry Barrett, told the meeting: “We have to increase the funding for these grants, there are such a large number of organisations that rely on the money we can give them.”
After going through the budget the members decided to split the amenity grants in two and increase the funding by €20,000. They agreed to put an extra €5,000 into the recreational development section of the budget which is used to pay the council’s contribution to the FAI coaching officer in the county, which will be used to give grants out to sporting organisations. They also put an extra €15,000 into the amenity grants section to increase the total amount of grants for other organisations available to €30,000.
The members also agreed to meet and decide at the February monthly meeting of the council how to decide to divide the money among the different groups which have applied for funding.
