Laois councillors vote in favour of €124m budget for 2025

LAOIS councillors were presented with a draft €124 million budget for the county for next year at a meeting of the local authority on Monday 18 November.

Acting director of finance Julie Bergin gave a detailed presentation on the adoption of the budget by resolution, with or without amendment.

Also discussed was the approval of the vacant abatement scheme, the determination of the annual rate of valuation and the noting of the three-year capital programme.

For Budget 2025 it was outlined that there were changes to the council’s income. In the area of rental income there was a €480,000 increase, local property tax rose by €300,000, there was a reduction in landfill income of €350,000 and a Non-Principal Private Residence (NPPR) fall of €150,000.

The key increases in funded costs involved housing maintenance of an additional €277,000 through rental income, along with leading grants, payroll, recoupable staff costs over a number of service divisions of housing, community, energy, climate and planning.

Other areas saw increased funding in road grants and community recoupable expenditure.

Councillors were informed that the key increases in unfunded costs are public lighting, local roads, parks, open spaces and playgrounds, community facilities, social inclusion and arts. Other increased costs are heritage, conservation and environmental, municipal district allocation and match state funding.

In relation to the municipal district discretionary fund, as agreed with the members during their meeting in October, each member will receive a discretionary allocation of €31,000. This funding is designated for community projects, footpaths, public lighting, speed detection signs, traffic-calming measures and burial grounds as directed by the members.

Each category offers flexibility, allowing funds to be reallocated at a later stage if needed, with the approved projects allocation for each municipal district increased from €25,000 to €50,000. The approved project allocation can be spent as directed with the agreement of members.

Ms Bergin explained that the allocation of the increased local property tax of €300,000 is being used for an approved municipal district project of €75,000, Laois Sports Partnership of €26,000 and leisure facilities of €60,000, including €40,000 for a loan repayment. Playground enhancement countywide is receiving €65,000, €20,000 for town team supports and fund matching of €54,000.

Ms Bergin explained the budget report of the chief executive, statutory budget tables and indicative capital programme 2025 to 2027.

She outlined the €123.69m expenditure over eight service divisions. The council also received goods, services and grants of €96,082m, a local property tax allocation of €12.45m, rates income of €15.16m, along with the annual rate of valuation of 0.2217.

While the council will have an expenditure of €123.69m, it has a lower income of €96m, with the deficit funded by rates and the local property tax.

“This is a positive budget that allocates resources to enable Laois County Council to continue delivering services to our citizens to the highest possible standards. Despite challenges to spending power due to inflationary pressures, this budget has been designed to support the key priority area identified by you, the elected members,” said Ms Bergin.

All councillors present at the meeting welcomed the council’s budget allocation for 2025 with some questioning how the local property tax is calculated when in relation to eircodes and the adjoining counties of Carlow and Kildare, housing upgrades, vacant and derelict fines, footpath and public lighting upgrading.

Simon Walton, the council’s interim chief executive, told members there was “huge work” gone into the draft budget in consultation with the members.

“The positivity is only possible due to governance carried out in 2024 and that there is tracking of the marinade of services the council is involved in.

“Julie Bergin has put in trojan work in the draft budget expenditure.

The budget was adopted by the council members.