Councillors agree to increase rates

FERMANAGH and Omagh District Council has agreed to implement a 4.72 per-cent rates rise for both homeowners and businesses in the upcoming financial year.

The decision, reached after a special meeting last Thursday night, aims to generate an additional £2 million to cover the council’s projected expenditure of £43 million for 2024-2025.

Councillors engaged in a thorough debate over the rate increase, acknowledging the potential impact on ratepayers.

Independent councillor, Josephine Deehan, highlighted external factors contributing to rising costs, including the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical uncertainties.

“We live in the real world, and have to acknowledge that there is a perfect storm at the moment which is beyond our control,” she said.

“We flatter ourselves correctly that we are fair employers and want to pay our staff properly. We do have an ambitious capital programme and what we have approved is appropriate.

“People expect high quality services, and that is what we’re providing.”

However, SDLP councillor Adam Gannon voiced concern about implementing a rates rise amid what he termed an ‘extreme cost-of-living’ crisis’.

The SDLP and the UUP both voted against the increase.

Sinn Féin’s Stephen McCann urged opponents of the increase to propose viable alternatives.

Cllr McCann underscored the necessity of maintaining essential services and preserving jobs, suggesting that a failure to implement a rates rise could undermine the council’s ability to meet its obligations.

Financial support

A sharp reduction in financial support from central government has been blamed for contributing to the rates rise in the Fermanagh and Omagh District (FODC). Each year, the 11 Local Government Districts throughout the North receive a Rates Support Grant. But figures from the FODC show that its grant has plummeted by 33 per-cent.

Instead of the £600,000 received last year, the council will now get £400,000.

This decrease has been criticised by councillors, who hope that the return of Stormont will ensure that discussions on the the grant and other sources of income for local government can resume.

“Local government needs financial support to help us deliver our services in very challenging financial circumstances,” said Cllr Deehan.

“For example, we have to make changes to vehicles and properties due to climate change.

“We have long considered that grants are inadequate to meet our demands and the council needs to make strong representations to look at this and redress the imbalance.”

FODC chief executive, Alison McCullagh, said the council was ‘satisfied’ with its current financial arrangements.

“I do not believe that we are on a difficult financial trajectory,” she stated.

“The council is well-governed and we have sufficient capacity to do what is proposed within the financial plans for the coming year.”