Slow uptake by councillors for Local Priorities Fund money

Only one councillor in the Clondalkin local electoral area availed of the money set aside for them in the €1m Local Priorities Fund in the first quarter of 2026.

Just one councillor in the Clondalkin LEA has dipped into their €25k allowance provided by the local authority’s local priorities fund, which allows elected members to fund specific projects in their area over the course of the year.

The fund was brought in after councillors agreed to reduce the local property tax in South Dublin by 7.5 per cent for the year, although the LPT is usually reduced by 15 per cent each year and some councillors had taken issue with the smaller reduction this time around.

€175k of the €1m fund for the year has been designated to seven councillors in the Clondalkin area, but only Councillor Francis Timmons has made a dent in his five-figure allowance so far.

Cllr Timmons has put €6,129 towards a new roof for the sensory area at Knockmitten Youth & Community Centre, with work currently in progress, according to the council.

Funding allocations are expected to benefit a significant number of people within a local electoral area and also be spent within the year, if used correctly.

They cannot be used for sponsorship or advertising of an event or organisation, staffing costs or any projects that are deemed contradictory to local, regional or national policy

Each electoral area has a pool of at least €125k to work from, with the number of councillors in each area ranging from five to seven.

A separate application must be completed in respect of each proposed allocation from the fund and the minimum amount for each allocation drawn from the fund per councillor is €2,500.

All completed applications complying with the protocol will be presented quarterly to each relevant area committee meeting for noting, with another expected in the July area committee meeting.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.