Craic On

Budget

The county budget wasn’t passed last night. If it is not passed then Donegal Councillors will be voting themselves out of a job and the Council will be dissolved. Donegal Council will be run by the Department of the Environment.

They have a last chance on Monday to pass a budget or it is Goodnight Josephine for the council.

Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail are saying that it is a waste of time having the meeting as they won’t change their minds. Independent Councillor John Campbell joined Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail in making it a 15-13 vote to fail to pass the budget. Fine Gael and Labour voted to pass it but were defeated.

Reasons

The reason that they are not going to pass the budget, they say, are twofold. Firstly, they say it is in protest at the Government handing over their main asset, water, to Irish water. They say this asset is worth €355 million. they say this will put people out of work at Donegal Water.

The second reason they give is that last year the budget they agreed was cut by €2.7m after review by the Government and they fully expect the same to happen this year.

Sinn Fein said that once again the council staff will have to provide more for less.

So, this is basically a protest against actions by the central Government.

They say that they have had enough and they are doing this to stick up for Donegal people many of whom have had to emigrate to find work.