Wicklow Council spends the 3rd lowest amount per person of all Councils. Partly this is because Councils with the fastest expanding population get little extra funds, However there is a complex calculation which effectively has taken the Property Tax from the new homes and paid it to Central Government. This Baseline calculation is being reviewed now and Cllr Derek Mitchell has made a submission to adjust the calculation so Wicklow gets to keep all the LPT. Much more funding is needed to support the new residents who are living at high density.
He proposed that more funding emphasis should be placed on Population and Population Increase. Also on Population density as more dense development needs more parks and sports facilities. Half of Wicklow’s population live in Bray & Greystones where new Planning Permissions are required, by Ministerial Order, to be high density.
He also proposed that extra weight be given to the Council supporting National Policy objectives of Housing Delivery and Climate Action. Wicklow is over its targets for building houses, both Private and Social. The largest Wind Farms in Ireland are to be built off the coast so the Council should be rewarded for that.
‘I hope the calculations are changed to reflect these points and Wicklow gets proper funding to provide for all the extra people’ said Cllr Derek Mitchell
