Minister Dempsey should seek more council funds

Dear sir - The latest report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group published makes interesting reading. The report indicates that Meath County Council spend less per head of population, than any other county council or city council in the country. The spend per resident by Meath County Council is €783, which is only 60 per cent of the national average spend per county dweller, and less if city councils are considered. The county council spend per Meath resident is only 41 per cent of the spend per head, by Louth County Council who spend €1,889 per head of population. I am simply in awe, as to how the county manager and his shrunken staff manage to provide the services they do. The average spend nationally by the county councils per resident is €1,310.52. Meath County Council is at the bottom of the national league with only 4.3 staff per 1,000 head of population, compared to a national average of 7.6 staff per head of population. Meath has a particular disadvantage in that half its 80,000 workers commute outside the county to work and consequently our rates base suffers as a result. Given local minister Noel Dempsey's broad experience in cabinet, including experience as minister for the environment, the department responsible for allocating funding grants to local authorities, you would imagine it should be possible to improve the funding for Meath County Council, by advancing our cause at the cabinet table. Yours, John Callaghan, 10 The Cloisters, Kells, PRO Kells Fine Gael Branch.