Sinn Féin opposes City Council budget

Larry O’Toole

THE Sinn Féin Group leader on Dublin City Council, Larry O’Toole, says that the party opposed the Dublin City Council budget for 2010 because it will “impose additional charges on those households least able to afford them”.
Clarifying the position in the wake of the City Council’s Estimates Meeting on Monday 21 December, Cllr. O’Toole said: “Sinn Féin councillors on Dublin City Council worked to achieve a budget for 2010 that would preserve council services and jobs. We argued that the commercial rate should remain the same as 2009 and that no charges should be imposed on those households who benefit from the waiver of refuse charges.
“The Labour Party, Fine Gael and City Council management rejected this approach and produced a budget that imposes new charges on 40,000 households in the city who are already struggling with the impact of the Government’s budget.
“At a meeting of Dublin Sinn Féin on 17 December it was decided that if the Council Estimates contained such a charge for those on the waiver then those Estimates would be opposed by the five Sinn Féin Councillors. This position was announced publicly on 18 December.
“At the City Council Estimates meeting on Monday evening 21 December four Sinn Féin councillors voted against the Estimates and one, Cllr. Killian Forde, voted for them. Cllr. Forde acted in breach of his mandate from the party.
“Sinn Féin’s councillors will continue to oppose these charges. We will continue to defend council services and jobs and to demand the proper funding of local democracy by central government.”