Value for money in local authorities
Senator Burke calls for a debate on commercial rates, local-government management and whether taxpayers receive comparable value for money across different authorities.
The issue of rates is extremely important, as is the way in which local authorities are currently managed. As regards the template involved, if one compares one local authority with another, are we getting the same value for money in different areas? People talk about shops paying €4,000 or €5,000 in rates, but it is far more than that. In Cork city, for instance, a shoe shop in Patrick Street is paying annual rates of €22,000. The Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork is paying rates of €500,000.
Comment on this
My question concerns having a debate on this issue, including not only the reform of local government but also about having value for money in each local authority area. We need to examine this quickly because I am not convinced that we are getting value for money, given the way local authorities are currently run. We need to keep this under constant review.