Birr council follow zero rates increase trend

Birr Town Council unanimously voted on a zero percent increase in commercial rates at their Draft Budget for 2009 meeting earlier this week. The council continued on the freeze set by Tullamore Town Council and also Offaly County Council in December, a move which was taken in a bid to ease pressure on cash-strapped small businesses that are essential to the locality. Cllr John Carroll proposed that there should be a rates freeze for 2009 because the Birr Town rates are far greater than county rate. He also wondered was the council getting value for money from its services. 'Are we getting value for money for our environmental investment (street cleaning, litter management, burial ground maintainence), costing us €365,000 or €1,000 per day? This breaks down to €3,500 a week or €500 a day for a seven day week on street cleaning. Litter management is costing €1,100 per week or €160 a day for a seven day week. We give no direct grant to our tidy town committee who work voluntary and make a major contribution to improving our environment in spite of this big budget. While our environment budget has increased over the years, the town has lost its waste collection service; the town dump and has less refuse bins in that context I question value for money,' said Cllr Carroll in a statement. He pointed out that the council spend €143,000 or almost €3,000 per week on maintaining of parks and open spaces. 'No councillor or official could be proud of waste land at back of houses at Drumbane Presentation Place or Cappenale Park,' he asked. 'We have made huge progress over the past number of years on a very small budget, let us continue to work together but we have a duty to call it as we see it and make sure at all times that value for money is what people get.'